Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds Complete!
by Dixxy Mouri
Summary: Thanks to her racist grandmother, Keisha and her brother are suddenly cut off from the rest of the world. In an act of defiance, Keisha spends the night with Kento, which leads to even more trouble. Rated R for lots of stuff. OBSOLETE but still COMPLETE.
1. Prologue

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Prologue

__

Somewhere far from Boston. . .

"This session of the Dark Wing Clan has now come to order," a dark hooded figure said. The remaining twelve members of the cult all bowed to their leader and his tall, gnarled staff, each in his or her own hood as well. The old, abandoned factory they met in was lit with candles, giving it an eerie look as dark shadows danced on the walls. "As the High Priest of our Clan, I have called this meeting to inform you of our next ritual. Elder, if you please?"

An elderly woman stood up. She was the Elder of the Clan, the oldest in the coven. While she was not as well trained as the High Priest, she was wise and all listened to her words. The Elder was the only one aside from the High Priest who could speak with the Death Lord, after all. "The Death Lord who rules our clan has spoken to me recently. It is hungry and wishes to feed soon."

A gasp arose from the Clan members. Another member of the clan stood up. "It is still hungry, Elder? Have we not given it enough sacrifices over the past several years? We have fed it countless animals, people, and treasures and we will continue to do so. What more could it want from us?"

"I gave it THREE human sacrifices last week!"

"I robbed an entire jewelry store!"

"Wasn't the flock of sheep enough!"

"You imbeciles!" said the Elder, clenching her fists as she began to screech at her fellow clan members. Most of them shrunk back from the enraged old woman. "They weren't what he wanted. We have been misreading his signs. The Dark Wing hasn't been successful in satisfying his hunger. He wants something else- something we have failed to give him! He does not want jewels and food! We must feed the Death Lord what he wants or face his wrath!"

"Yes, this is true. If we do not give the Death Lord what he wants, he will be very upset with us," said the High Priest. The other members of the clan turned to their leader as he began to speak. "The Elder and I have had a discussion with the Death Lord as to what he wants from us, his loyal servants. We now have a much better understanding on what he desires."

"Well, what does he want?" asked one of the clan. She held herself proudly as she spoke, obviously taking a chance to sound important to her fellow clan members. "I have heard milk is a good sacrifice, especially goat milk. Maybe even fine perfume? Fine wines work nicely as well-"

"SILENCE!" The High Priest pointed his staff at the woman who had spoken up, a dark beam of energy engulfing her. The woman fell to her knees, her arms clutched around her chest as she screamed in agony. The rest of the clan watched in an empty silence, no feeling or remorse for the woman who lay shaking on the ground before them. THEY were not the ones who were on the floor- she had been foolish to do such a thing as to suggest something like that.

The High Priest raised his staff, staring at the woman. "NEVER second guess the Death Lord. Do you understand? Or do you need to be taught that lesson again! The Elder and I already know what he wants. He does not need you to tell him what he wants. Get it?"

"But I-"

"SILENCE!" said the High Priest. "Continue, Elder."

The Elder nodded to the High Priest, thanking him. "The Death Lord has become very specific as to what he wants for his sacrifices, for he will be brought into this world soon enough. So specific are these details that we'll need to be using indicator rings to make sure that our sacrifice will be ready for when she's fed to the Death Lord."

"She? We need a woman?" asked one of the clan members.

"That is the first credential, yes," said the Elder.

"There's more, too," said the Elder. Her voice began to get low and stern, a sign she was excited over something. From the sound of it, this was something that was going to be absolutely HUGE. Whoever this girl was, she was going to be quite an interesting sacrifice. "She has to be young, for one thing. A teenager would do it. She have small signs of power."

"There is one other specification. The most important specification and most fragile specification, as it is the only one that can be altered to our disadvantage. A virgin," said the High Priest. "The Death Lord wants a virgin. She MUST remain a virgin until the sacrifice can be made."

"Why?" asked another hooded figure.

The High Priest grinned. "The Death Lord hasn't felt the touch of a woman in a very, very long time, much less the touch of a virgin woman. He wishes to have a bed companion, so to speak," he said. "One who's unsoiled company he can soil himself. He seems very interested in the concept of it right now. He is also interested in having her bear his children."

"Well, where do we start looking?" asked the woman who had been tortured earlier, trying to choose her words carefully as to avoid further torment. "That's quite a few specifications you got there. A lot of girls these days are having sex younger and younger- finding a virgin isn't going to be as easy as it was ten, twenty years ago."

"I have already made the selection- I have found a girl who, as of now, meets every credential we have set, including the minor signs of powers- the girl has sensed many strange things throughout her young life that even I have not sensed. I will need to dispose of those who would get in my way, but that will be an easy task," said the Elder. She grinned. "I will summon the rest of you when the time comes for us to bring her back here for the ritual. Until then, I shall make sure that the credentials are kept and she doesn't do something that would ruin our plans."

The High Priest nodded his approval. "Very well, Elder. We shall wait and prepare for the virgin's arrival. I will have some of the other clan members help her meet these credentials the remaining credentials you speak of while you make sure she doesn't BREAK any of the credentials. Understood, Elder? Though I think we know well enough that you won't fail us."

The Elder bowed. "Thank you, Mighty One. I will do as you ask," she said. With that, the Elder turned and left the coven, making preparations. "My dear, sweet child, you shall bring me and my clan to glory." The Elder then threw her head back and laughed darkly, throwing her hands high into the air. "To you, my Death Lord! Glory shall be ours for all eternity!"

Yes! The start of a new story, and this time it involves the occult! Yippee!

Aynslesa: I went back into the series to improve it, _Dragonia_ included. There will be something involving that dragon world, I promise you that, but it's so off from the original it ain't funny. So many changes take place, and I'm still not sure what I'm doing with it yet! Aw, thanks for all the sweet compliments!

Winter: That's all right, it's one of those really obscure things that no one really thinks about. Besides, it's illegal to have more than one spouse. Ugh, Final Fantasy 8? No offense but I couldn't stand that game! It started off so damned SLOW. You were in school, and I STILL don't get that whole junction thingy. Not the game for me. Awesome graphics, but graphics don't always make a game. Ooo, I love the CC soundtrack, especially some of the later boss music- when you fight FATE and the first Time Devourerer. And Nikki's Song of Marburle. And the "silly" music (which I know is heard the second time you fight Solt and Peppor, right as you're leaving Fossil Valley). My imaginary marriage is just fine- we're doing just as fine as a fanfic author and a fictitious character can possibly be. Um, thanks for the song comment. I swear, that's one of the strangest things I've written, and you should see some of my humor stories. I mean, Little Sehky Foo-Foo was pure stupidity. Speaking LSFF, I accidentally deleted that when I was trying to delete _Sehkment's Vacation_, which is being discontinued. I just could get it off the ground.

Harry: Thank you, as always. I was a little worried about the epilogue for a while (the pizza scene, that is), but I'm glad it was a success.

Musou: Hey, that's all right, we all go away sometimes. But I'm glad you liked it.

To ANYONE, please keep any guesses as to what happens (or if you read it one my site before I took it down) then PLEASE DON'T LEAVE IT IN THE REVIEW BOX. If ONE person is surprised I'll be happy, because I leave many, many bombs over the course of this story.

Dixxy


	2. Chapter One

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter One: A Very Happy Thanksgiving

(Keisha)

"I like the concept of this holiday," Kento said. I looked up at him, blinking my eyes in a way that silently asked for an explanation. My boyfriend gladly gave it. "Food, football, and friends. Bless the pilgrims!" He took a drink from the soda can in his hand, sighing happily when he was done. "This is the life. Why didn't we have a holiday like this back in Japan?"

I laughed, enjoying watching Kento having some fun from my happy perch in his lap. "The whole purpose of this holiday is to celebrate the people who settled this country for religious freedom," I said, resting my head on his shoulder. "After their first year, during which several of their people died, they celebrated that as many of them that had survived were still with them and partied for three days."

"Is that why we get a nice long break from school?" asked Kento, taking his eyes off the television to look at me. "A few days off from school to signify the three days the pilgrims did Thanksgiving? Then why is Thanksgiving only on one day? Heck, I wouldn't mind doing this three days in a row."

"Nah, people travel for this holiday," I said, stretching. "People flock to see their kin so they can all have the big meal as one gigundo unit. You stay away from the highways and grocery stores the day before Thanksgiving- that's when over half of the country goes out to buy the food and start top travel. And the day after Thanksgiving, you don't even think about going to any malls or retail stores, because that's when the Christmas rush begins- people get up at stupid hours to go shopping."

"Is that why Mike looked like he'd been to Hell and back yesterday when he got back from the super market?" asked Kento, looking thoughtful. "His sweater was torn in more than one place and his glasses were broken. Cara just about had a heart attack when she saw him and Sue Lee thought he looked funny."

"Probably," I said, resting my head on his chest. "Football, the Thanksgiving feast, and the parades you see are all part of our celebration. Normally you're with your family, but we all decided that since you, Sage, Cye, and Anubis don't have too much for family out this way, we'd spend Thanksgiving with all of you."

Kento frowned. "You didn't have to do that," he said.

I shrugged. "It's usually just me, Evan, and my parents when Thanksgiving rolls around for us," I said. "My parents are both only children and I only have one grandparent that's still with us. This is a huge extension of what we usually have. Trust me, this is perfectly fine. Besides, we're all so close it's almost like family anyways."

"What did I miss?" asked Sage, coming in from the bathroom, a new can of soda in hand as he took his place on the couch between Evan and Trevor. Sara's dad (Roger) sat in one of the recliners, my dad and his wheelchair next to him. Mike and Anubis were on the love seat while Kento and I shared the other recliner. Every male in the house was in the living room minus Cye, who was in the kitchen (Rona was keeping him captive so he could help her cook). I think he wanted to watch football, but Rona, Mrs. Lewis, and Ria's Aunt Sally would not let the one male who knew the difference between a spoon and an electric mixer in the house do something unproductive. Yeah, Kento could cook, but his knowledge of food preparation didn't go much farther than Chinese dishes.

"Buffalo, seven. Green Bay, twenty-one," said Anubis, who had somehow gotten his hands on an Orange Julius (I swear, the man's putting someone's kids through college with those stupid things. . .). "Buffalo hasn't had so much as a chance at a touchdown since second quarter- they're getting slaughtered! You've missed all the action! Where have you been!"

The bearer of Halo grumbled in response. "Cye and Rona made me stuff the turkey carcass while they mashed potatoes and finished up pies. Why did I have to stick my hand and bread crumbs with some herbs and stuff mixed in up some dead bird's ass while they got to do the fun stuff?" said Sage, pouting in his seat. The last of the Flitteree seemed rather. . . unhappy.

"Aw, c'mon Sage, what's so wrong with a little hard work in the kitchen now and then?" asked Sam, leaning up against the wall as she idly watched the rest of us. The half-breed had a way of entering rooms without people noticing until she decided to make her presence known. Soda can in hand, she took a swig and wiped her mouth with her free hand. "It's not going to hurt you."

"It was cold, wet, and slimy," said Sage. "I don't DO cold, wet, and slimy."

"Sage, the bird is DEAD. What's it gonna do to you-"

"It'll give me salmonella!" said Sage.

Ignoring the bickering Halo bearers, I turned back to Kento. "Do we argue that much?"

"Probably worse- we're actually dating, they're just good friends," said Kento.

"Is that good?"

"Yeah- it's a sign of a healthy relationship," he said. "If you bet on each other's nerves it means you know your significant other pretty darn well. My parents fought a lot and they have a lot of kids- they're doing just fine as far as I'm concerned. They say a lot of kids is a sign of a happy marriage."

I was about to comment when something happened on the stupid television, or, as my grandmother called it, the "idiot box". "TOUCHDOWN!" Anubis cried, standing up with the rest of the men in the room minus Sage (who was already up due to his argument with Sam) and my father (who sadly couldn't stand up). Despite the fact his lap was occupied, Kento stood up rather abruptly, landing me on the floor.

Kento looked down, blushing. He laughed sheepishly, scratching his head. "Sorry," he said, pulling me up and brushing me off. The rest of the group had turned to us, chuckles emitting from the group. Kento glared at them. "Just shut up and watch the game, not us. So she fell down, big deal. Get over it. It happens, okay?"

"You dropped her," said Trevor. Sara's older brother threw his head back and laughed, holding his stomach with one hand and his forehead with the other. "You stood up and down she went. Straight down to the ground, right, Kento ol' boy? THAT was entertainment! Do it again!"

"I'll show you entertainment, Trevor. Right after you get out of the emergency room," I said, sitting back on Kento's lap. I turned to my partner in arms/boyfriend. "Warn me next time, okay?" I wrapped my arms around his neck, reminding Trevor that he was currently "between girlfriends" as part one of my punishment towards him.

"Will do," he said. I nodded in approval, kissing his nose. Trevor made a gagging sound. I threw an empty soda can at him, hitting him square in the middle of his forehead. Kento laughed, smiling brightly at me as Trevor stared at the soda can in complete and utter amazement. "Nice aim. You should join softball next spring. If you have time between track and all."

Due to all the commotion we had been causing, Sara walked in, looking confused. "What was that noise?" she asked. The smallest and youngest of the Senshi was taking some careful observations of the room, trying to decide on just what had happened.

"Green Bay continues to slaughter Buffalo," said Evan. "We all jumped, and Keisha fell down because she was in Kento's lap. Trevor laughed. Keisha insulted him, then sat back down in Kento's lap. Trevor gagged and Keisha threw a soda can at him. You know, typical football behavior."

Sara rolled her eyes. "I'm just glad Cye doesn't behave like this. Anubis, I'm surprised at you- you should be setting Cye a better example than THAT!" she said, walking back into the dinning room, mumbling something about the immaturity testosterone causes.

I sighed heavily, thinking about what Sara had said about Cye. Sometimes, I worry about them, and I had every reason to. "Think that relationship is going to work?" I asked Kento. "The two of them. . . it's weird, you know? I don't know how'd I'd handle being in a situation like that."

"It'll have to work out eventually in the end," said Kento. "Cye and Sara kinda got a sucky deal with being promised to each other, but. . . they've been getting better. I mean, look at them- Sara was just degrading everyone else by using Cye as an example. That's got to be a good sign! "

I sighed heavily. Sara was the Chosen Mate, meaning that no man other than Cye could ever lay a finger on her. Well, she can shake hands, hug, and do normal things with guy friends, but she can't go anywhere romantically or intimately. Cye had the same deal, only with women. If it were men, then he'd be gay. But, Cye isn't gay. He's straight.

"You know what I mean," he said. "They're just breaking each other in, that's all."

I laughed at Kento's view on the subject as Rona resounded the call of food, which resulted in a sudden stampede of easily twenty humans, a tiger, and one Gruff (who had shape-shifted into the form of a husky) bounded into the dining room for the main event.

* * *

After the meal, we all split up to do different things. Sam, Sage, and Rona were sitting with their backs against each other, each looking somewhat miserable. Sara and Cye had not over-eaten and were satisfied, now engaged in a game of cards. Anubis was damning the "accursed" Pilgrims and their "accursed" feast. Evan and Trevor out back, probably up to sometime. Mike and Cara were snuggling on the sofa. Ria had gone off somewhere with Tiger Lily. Other adults and siblings were strewn about the house with various stomach aches. Kento, Sue Lee and I were the only ones who'd left room for desert.

"Good pie!" said Sue Lee, plopping vanilla ice cream onto her piece of apple pie.

Kento laughed, taking a rather large slice of peach pie. "You haven't even tried it yet."

"I've had it before," she said. "Mike makes good pies."

I stuck my fork into the lemon meringue I had. "I never knew Mike made pies."

"It's the only thing he likes to bake," said Sue Lee. She scrunched up her face in an adorable looking kind of frown. I smiled, glad to see that even with the episode with Lord Termini she was still able to hold onto some of her youthful innocence. "He burns cookies, his cakes have deflated balloon centers, and his brownies taste funny."

"Just how do they taste funny?" asked Kento, raising his eyebrow as he took on a thoughtful look. I giggled- Kento looked so cute when he tried to look intellectual. Not to say he'd stupid or anything- he's actually smart than you'd think- but he was certainly no Harvard scholar. "I've heard of people making funny brownies on purpose before-"

"Kento!" I said. "It's MIKE we're talking about. He's not going to put marijuana in brownies!"

Kento raised an eyebrow. "I thought they put weed in funny brownies."

I rolled my eyes. "Same thing," I said. Kento nodded, seeming to understand. Sue Lee stared at us strangely, licking the ice cream off her spoon. "You'll understand when you're older. WAY older. You know way more than a nine year old SHOULD know as is," I quipped while rubbing my temples. The Jewel of Hope glistened from its chain around her neck, a dreadful reminder of just how much the poor dear had seen in such a short amount of time. Deciding she was done in the kitchen, Sue Lee went off to eat her desert elsewhere.

"Yuli wasn't much better off," said Kento, putting his plate down momentarily. "He got to see us beaten to kingdom come, a big rig explode, numerous other large items blow up, torture, and he watched Anubis die." He closed his eyes. "All he wanted was his parents back and he never even got that."

My eyes widened. While Sue Lee had seen some things that were MUCH worse, Yuli had a larger variety of not-so-nice stuff, which could have been worse on a number of levels. They're probably lost the same amount of their innocence, just during different intervals of time and in varied dosages. Then, I thought back to what else he'd said. "Torture?"  
Kento narrowed his eyes and hugged himself. I bit my lip, wondering if I'd asked the right question. "Back in Japan, when Talpa had us, he gave Ryo and Rowen a little bit of a home movie. Yuli and Mia were with them," he said darkly. He looked up. "You know, from the gargoyle statues?"

I frowned. "Trulpa showed something like that to me, Sara, and Sam," I said, pulling myself onto the counter, looking at him sympathetically. Kento stared at me in curiosity. "I remember hearing a little kid's voice shouting some sort of a protest to what was happening."

Kento's eyes widened in concern. "You had to see that?" he asked, putting a hand on my shoulder as he joined me on the countertop. I nodded, resting my head on his shoulder and reaching over to hold his hand. "You girls shouldn't have seen that. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I don't know," I said. "It was so God awful. . ." I turned away, clutching one of my arms. "I mean. . . you know that we- the two of us, I mean- developed feelings for each other so fast. Seeing you like that, even if it was a shadow from the past, it hurt. Especially after you admitted that you loved me and-"

Kento touched the side of my face, a light smile playing on his face. "It's okay," he said. I looked into his eyes, seeing a bit of sympathy and compassion intertwined with the stormy blue color that his eyes were. "Everything I've gone through the past year and a half has been well worth it."

"Why?" I asked. "You had to fight the Dynasty and you were held prisoner and-"

"But in the end, meeting you made it all worth while," he said, gently kissing me. I blushed, returning the gesture. Kento broke it off and pulled me closer. "It's in the past. Behind me. Behind us. Don't let it bother you." He paused. "And next time Trulpa does something like that TELL US!"

"Okay!" I said, laughing. "And Kento?"

"Yes?"

"If I can help it, I won't let anyone ever do that to you again," I said.

Kento smiled, giving me a slight squeeze as he chuckled lightly. "That's sweet," he said, giving me another kiss, this one to my cheek. I looked up at him, kissing him on the cheek. "And I'll make sure it never happens to you at all." He held my hand between his hands. "I love you."

"I love you, too."


	3. Chapter Two

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Two: A Little Bit of Normalcy

(Kento)

Out of all the things that I've found in the least bit shocking, one thing stands out about the most. It wasn't when I got my armor. It wasn't the first time I saw Ryo's sure kill rip through Toyama or anything that happened during our first war. Not the knowledge of my extra magic from my torture sessions. Not the knowledge of the Senshi. Nope. None of that.

The most shocking thing I'd ever heard was when Keisha told me she loved me.

We had been in the middle of a battle, fighting for our lives. I KNEW Trulpa had plans to kill me and Keisha could only guess that she'd end up dead, too. When things began to look bleak and we couldn't hold off the Tin Heads anymore, Keisha had turned to me and blurted out that she loved me. I didn't know what to say to that for a long time.

Yeah, I decided I was in love with her later and told her so. And I am in love with her. Keisha is one of my only reasons for living anymore. I lost everything but my friendships with Sage and Cye and my armor, though I even lost that for a while. And suddenly, even when I have almost nothing, someone cares about me despite all that.

But why me?

It's been a question I'd been asking myself since after we toasted Trulpa. Why me? Why was I the one she wanted to spend time with? To share an embrace with? To be carried off over a shoulder by (well. . . she wasn't too fond of THAT, but she's so cute when she's angry, you know?)? To hold when she's nervous or kiss when she's happy?

Why me?

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I wanted to take Keisha out to see a movie or something, but the phone line was busy. Meaning I had to go over there myself. After begging Mike to let me borrow his car (I'd only gotten my license two and a half months earlier and hadn't gotten my hands on a car yet), I drove to Keisha's house to ask her if she felt up to it.

Parking the blue Nissan on the curb infront of the townhouse the Narrlobi family called home, I knocked on the front door, then waited patiently for someone to answer. While I waited, I looked around to see if someone was outside, or even in they were home. Keisha's little orange bug sat in the driveway, so at least she was around.

Evan opened the door. He waved. "Hey, Kento, looking for Keisha?" he asked.

"Yeah, is she available?" I asked.

"She slept in late. She just got out of the shower a few minutes ago," said Evan. "C'mon in."

"Thank you," I said, stepping inside. Evan went upstairs, saying he was going to tell Keisha I was there. Mrs. Narrlobi wheeled in from the kitchen, a bright smile on her face. I liked Mrs. Narrlobi. Nice, middle aged woman with dark hair that was just beginning to gray. Her eyes were bright like Keisha's, only older and wiser, maybe a little more naïve. Heck, Keisha's eyes had been war torn. Her mother hadn't had that happen yet. Dainty and soft hands clutched my hand as I extended it to greet her. "Good day, Mrs. Narrlobi."

"Hello," she said. "Everything all right?"

"Oh yeah!" I said, rocking back on my heels as I scratched the back of my head. "Just wanted to see if Keisha felt like going out to see a movie or something, that's all. Great day to catch a movie. I swear, I've never seen the lines this short for a LONG time and I don't want to pass this opportunity up."

"Ask her," said Mrs. Narrlobi. "She should be-"

"Hi Kento!" Keisha was running down the stairs, buttoning up the top button of a nice orange blouse. She smiled at me, giving me a greeting kiss before grabbing her shoes, which were sitting by the door. She sat down and began to pull them on, giving me the rest of her attention as she tied the laces. "What's up?"

"Feel like catching a movie or something?" I asked.

She cocked her head to the side, straightening her headband. "Any special reason?"

"No, not really," I said. "The movie theaters are all dead. Everyone's out Christmas shopping. This is the PERFECT time to see a flick! So, whaddaya say? Movie or lunch or making out in the back of Mike's car, maybe driving to Mexico to get to some weed or something?"

Mrs. Narrlobi laughed, lightly slapping me on the shoulder. I smiled back. "Jerk."

"A movie, eh?" said Keisha. "What's playing?"

"Doesn't matter to me, just don't bring me to some sappy chick flick," I requested.

"That sounds nice," said Mr. Narrlobi, coming in from another room. Mr. Narrlobi was definitely older than Mrs. Narrlobi. He'd shaved his head recently, leaving only a mustache and beard behind. Bright blue eyes greeted me, a hint of joking in them as he stated his next comment. "Just keep your hands off her while you're there."

"Dad. . ." said Keisha, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Okay, we'll wait until after we leave the movie theater," I said. I got a deep belly laugh from the older black man and a "give me a break" look from Keisha's mother. "Hey, I apologize Mrs. Narrlobi. Not my fault you gave birth to one of the most beautiful girls on the face of this planet." Keisha blushed and giggled.

Her mother was not quite as amused. I was starting to cross the line with my harmless joking and I knew it. "You watch yourself, young man. Or else I'll sent Evan out to skin you alive," said Mrs. Narrlobi. Evan coughed, looking around innocently. He knew very well who'd win if the two of us were to ever fight. I'll give you a hint: it wouldn't be Evan.

"I know, I know," I said, holding my hands up in mock defense as the wheelchair bound woman swatted at me yet again. Keisha laughed, hanging on the side of the door frame as she waved at her family. "I'll take care of her and try to make sure she comes back in one piece. Nice talking with you!"

"Be back by nine," said Mrs. Narrlobi.

"Yes, mother," said Keisha. "C'mon, Kento. Let's get going."

That evening, I went to bed feeling happy. Keisha and I had a ball between going to the movies and lunch. We hung out around some of the different spots at town, just being a normal couple. No evil demons, no crazed Amazons, no nothing. We were just being regular old Kento Rei Fuang and Keisha Narrlobi.

The day had long since ended and I was now in my room. I reached over onto my bedside dresser and picked up a picture frame. It was a picture taken the previous summer of me and Keisha hugging cheek-to-cheek. It had been taken a few days after we returned from the Under City. The Charles River was behind us, a few rowers behind us, highlighting the wide grins on our faces.

Sometimes whenever I look at the two of us, I still think about our differences. Yeah, we have a lot of interests and what not in common, but. . . she's black and I'm Chinese. I can't tell you how many times we'll be out to lunch and we'll get these cold stares from people, some just surprised, some looking disgusted. The first few times we didn't understand why it happened until this one old woman told us to find someone "of our own kind". I wanted to give her the tongue lashing of her life, but she made me think, and we realized it.

Yeah, we'd thought about it before. After we kissed, even Keisha said that she was scared about how people would feel is we ever got together. I understood that feeling, too. If I ever decided to go home, and I was still with Keisha, would my parents except my cross-racial relationship? I didn't think my brothers and sisters would care, and my Uncle Qin would just say they should be glad that it wasn't a black MAN I was in love with. My parents, though. . . I wasn't sure.

I stopped and thought about it. It had been so close to a full eighteen months since I'd seen them, sixteen months since I'd last spoken to my mother over the telephone to tell her Cye and I were both okay. I felt a pit forming in my stomach. I missed them. I missed everyone back in Japan, including the other two Ronin Warriors.

Speaking of the other two Ronin Warriors, they hadn't responded to the letter we'd sent them several months back. I understand that the postal service can take a long time and all, but it seemed like it was taking too long. What if it was lost in the mail? What if someone else got it? I could help but be worried about it. What if something bad had happened to them and we weren't there to help them?

_Relax, Kento,_ I thought to myself._ They're tough. If something happened they'll be okay._

I heard a knock. "Who is it?" I asked.  
"Your worst nightmare."

I laughed. "C'mon in, Sage," I said. Sage stepped in, wearing a pair of flannel pants and a Patriots jersey. The last living Flitteree wore a lot of football stuff as of late- his favorite shirt was a blue, long sleeved shirt with yellow sleeves and the number "14" (his number on the football team) on the front, also in bright yellow. If he wasn't wearing that, he was in a professional team jersey or some other athletic apparel. Kind of funny to think Sage had gone from the serious thinker in blazers and trousers to a full-blown jock in jerseys and jeans.

"What's up?" he asked, sitting next to me on my bed.

"Thinking," I said.

My friend gasped in mock shock. "You're thinking! Egad!" He put his hand over his heart and began to stagger over to my bed, eventually plopping down next to me. He looked over at me with wide, mischievous eyes. "Want me to call the papers? That's a rare event," said Sage. I shot him a look, getting a laugh out of the "overgrown fairy", as I called him. "I'm just kidding you. Penny for your thoughts?"

"I'm just thinking about how much our lives have changed since we had our first war with Talpa," I said. I put the picture frame down. "Just a year and a half ago, we were completely different people. I was a loud mouthed idiot and you were quiet and serious. Now we've almost switched personalities. I think more often, and you're getting into trouble more often."

Sage took on a thoughtful look. "Me, maybe, but you? You still have your moments as a thickheaded jerk," he said, punching my lightly in the arm. "But you're right, it isn't as often. I'm the one that gets the detentions now. YOU get reprimanded once in a while because Keisha gives you the stink eye before you do anything. I'm a wild child."

"It's because you're getting more in tune with your species," I said, poking him in the stomach. Sage swatted my hand away, mumbling something about the Pillsbury dough boy as he crossed one of my ankles over the opposite knee. "Finding your wings has given you a lighter, happier attitude towards life. You used to be a stick in the mud, remember?"

"Maybe," he said, scratching his head. He cleared his throat and stood up, ready to announce why he'd decided to come into my room. "Anyways, I came in looking for the five bucks you owe me from last week. Remember? The ice cream and soda you didn't have enough to pay for?"

"Oh yeah," I said. I stood up. "Let me get my wallet and I'll pay up, all right?"

"Okay," said Sage. I grabbed my wallet and began to sift through the bills inside. I had only recently received my paycheck and my finances were in much better order than they had been in the previous week. I pulled out a five and passed it to my friend. "Sleep tight." I nodded as he left the room. I then crawled under the covers, turned off my lamp, and went to sleep.

This chapter was something of an explanation of Kento's feelings on his relationship with Keisha and her family, and a little on his feelings of his new lifestyle. Er. . . kinda pointless note but I didn't feel like jumping into the reviews right away for some reason.

Harry: No, this one is part of the Senshi series. I don't have many plans for anything outside of EoIv2.0, the Princess story, and this one as far as Ronin stuff goes. The Thanksgiving scene was supposed to further show how the Senshi are trying to get the boys to adjust to like in America, and at the very least Kento seems to like it! Unfortunately, Ryo and Rowen don't make a showing until the next story, and, on Rowen's part, the first impression isn't all that great. Course I need to get through _Oh, Lucky Me_ first. Grrr. . . damned writer's block.

Aynslesa: Yup. Thanksgiving. Just a nice, happy way to start off the story. Yeah, Kento doesn't have too many romances going for him, which is why I have so much focus on him and Keisha even when it isn't there story (note them in the prologue for the Cye/Sara story and the "two dollar slut" talk in _Amazons_).

Kar-chan: Yeah, she brings out a whole new side to him, doesn't she? Yes, Kento would love Thanksgiving, so since this story has a slight Kento focus, it only makes sense. Ah, okay on the Dreamcast thing. Why would Sony sue, though? Your brother woke you up to play those games? Had it been me he would have gotten a good idea on what Kento felt during the entire Sand-striker episode (smashed into a wall with a wrecking ball, building fallen on top of him, punched in the groin, ect.).

Winter: Don't sweat it, I don't always understand everything I read all the time either. Yeah, _Lunar_ kicks butt. _Chrono Cross_ kicks even more butt because it has characters like Glenn, Serge, Glenn, Norris, Glenn, Karsh, Glenn, Marcy, Glenn, ZOAH, Glenn, and did I mention Glenn? Gee, bet you can't guess who my favorite character is. He's the victim- er, main character in all of my CC stories with the exception of one, but only because he's sharing the spotlight with four to five others.

One more chapter to go before bombshell #1 hits.

Dixxy


	4. Chapter Three

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Three: The Last Breakfast

(Keisha)

It seemed like a normal morning. The four of us were sitting around the dining room table eating pancakes and breakfast sausages. My dad read the paper after Evan took out the sports section. My mother was writing down some ideas in her idea notebook. I was working on math homework (I'd gotten stuck on the last few problems the previous night and decided to wait for the following morning to try them again). Occasionally we made small talk.

We were almost a normal family.

"Anything unusual happening lately with you-know-what?" asked my father. He was obviously talking to me. I looked up from my homework. You-Know-What usually meant anything having to do with the Ronins, my armor, or anything else that fell in the supernatural category of stuff I dealt with.

"No, not really," I said, moving some of my sausage pieces around idly. I stabbed a piece of neatly cut pancake with my fork and popped it in my mouth. "I would have told you if something was up by now. It's been quiet since last September after Cye and Sara found out they're stuck together."

"But they've been getting better," said Evan. "I'm over at Trevor's a lot anyways, and Cye's a frequent visitor as well. They're getting along just fine. Last time I was there Emily was playing keep away with Cye's backpack and Sara was on his back to try and slow him down. He kept saying he was getting angry, but he looked like he was enjoying it."

"I don't know how they're doing it," said my mother, leaning back in her wheelchair. "If I were in their shoes, I don't know WHAT I'd do!" She picked up her plate, then wheeled away from the table to the stove, where she retrieved another serving of pancakes.

"Anubis keeps saying that their armors are helping them with it. Think about it. We're dealing with some nasty stuff whenever something tries to take over the world. By all means the nice men in the white jackets should have dragged me away a LONG time ago, but it doesn't always bother me. It's just as normal for me to tear apart a Tin Can as it is for you to go shopping," I said. "The armors choose who they feel will be best for the job and then help that person even further. No one is born ready for battle."

"Wise words," said my father. He shook his head, putting the paper down. "You know, the others parents, your mother and I have all talked. We can't get over the idea that we're loosing our little girls." He sighed heavily. "It seems like only yesterday you were still playing with your Barbie doll and hiding behind your mother whenever your brother tried to give you a noogie."

I blushed. "Daddy, I'll always be your daughter, whether I'm tearing up the track or the battle field," I said, pointing my fork in his direction. "I may not be some sweet little girl anymore, but I'm ALWAYS going to be me. Please Dad, understand that. I love you and mom and Evan, and I'm glad I can turn to you all in the face of danger. I feel so lucky to have you all in my life right now. And don't you forget that I'm STILL Keisha Narrlobi even when I AM Keisha, Hardrock of the Senshi."

"Believe me, I won't," said my father. "I just. . . things are so different."

"But most of it's for the better," said Evan. "We have a good, steady income now. We didn't have that back then, remember?" We all nodded silently, remembering our days on welfare. It was a horrible time for us all. Whenever someone got sick, it was a struggle to get them medication. If one of my parents was laid off from whatever minimum wage job they had, we might've cut back to two meals a day. Birthday gifts consisted of single candy bars, Christmas a single toy. People in California knew I was poor, teasing me for wearing mismatched clothes we'd gotten from places like Goodwill. The worst period was when we went three months without a house and lived in and out of shelters. That was horrible.

Still, after Dad got lucky with the lottery (he swears up and down it was an act of fate) our finances got better, we left California, and came to Boston. But now, in a way, things were worse. Yeah, we had a house and we didn't starve, but seeing my parents wheelchair bound was still hard.

"Keisha?"

I looked up and saw Evan staring at me. "What?" I asked.

"You went off into a little zone there for a while," my brother said.

"Just thinking," I said.

"About what?" asked my mother.

"Things," I said. I stood up, my breakfast finished off. "Is it okay if I go hang out with the girls today?"

"Sure thing, Keisha," said my father. "Just remember- your grandmother is flying in from Chicago tonight." I nodded, remembering that. I hadn't seen my grandmother in a long time and I missed the kindly old woman. I was still debating over letting her know about the whole Ronin armor thing, but still, I wanted her to meet my friends and Kento and show her around Boston.

"Yeah, I promised to meet Trevor at Boston Common for some ice skating before Grams shows up tonight," said Evan, standing up as well. "If we're lucky, we MIGHT be able to play hockey, so I'll be bringing my stick and a few extra pucks- Trevor's got crappy aim and we lost two last time we played."

"Just don't get hurt now, you hear me? I like the way you look with all your teeth, Evan," said Mom. Evan laughed, giving my mother a kiss. I grabbed my jacket off the coat rack, went over to my parents, kissed them both, and waved cheerily as I went out the front door.

* * *

After three and a half hours of doing nothing but talk about television, clothes, guys, and the latest things the more exotics pets had brought home (two car bumpers, three tree limbs, and a stop sign) with the other Senshi over at Ria's, we split up. Rona had her job, Sam had promised to meet Ella at the mall, Sara was supposed to help her mother with some project, and Ria had to return the stop sign to its rightful place before someone got into an accident.

"I'm telling you, something's gonna happen soon," Ria had said. "I'm starting to get BORED. I mean, it's been too quiet. Why doesn't Trulpa recover already so we can kick her ass again? I want her to eat Inferna and Soul again so we can lather, rinse, and repeat! I almost WANT something to attack us."

"Be glad it's been quiet," said Rona, shooting our rambunctious leader a very cold glare. "Think about it. When something does happen, you're going to be eating your words about being bored. Trulpa was no picnic either time we fought her, even with the help from the boys. I LIKE the quiet- that means I have a better chance of living to see the next day, maybe my graduation if I'm lucky."

Ria nodded, sighing heavily. "Well, I gotta go find out where Tiger Lily got the stop sign and return it before someone gets into killed because the damn cat decided to institute her own game of Fetch." She stood up, brushed herself off, and turned to me. "Keisha, you're not doing anything this afternoon. Feel like going hunting for the spot with me? I could use your help in welding the darn thing back into place."

"Nah, I'm gonna go check on Evan. He's at the Commons playing hockey with Trevor. I think," I said. Ria nodded as she and the other Senshi left to attend to their separate tasks. I followed them out of the house to get to my car, seeing if anyone needed a ride. Sara just teleported home, Sam and Rona took her motorcycle, and Ria took off with a stop sign in tow. I almost laughed at the sight of poor Ria.

"Need a lift?"

"Nah, that's okay," she said. I nodded, getting into the front seat. I waved to Ria, who was dragging the sign on the ground. That created a somewhat "lovely" screeching sound, and found myself wincing as I closed the car door. After fumbling through my purse for the car keys, I started the car up, and drove off.

While driving, my mind went to the subject of Grams. I was thoroughly convinced she'd love my friends (especially Kento) and probably couldn't wait to meet them. It had been years since I'd seen her- in fact, it was before the lottery ticket- and my memories of her were those of a kindly old black widows who baked cookies and liked to knit. You know, the cliché grandmother. Not that I minded.

I drove around Boston Common, trying to spot Trevor's shiny blue convertible or some other sign of the two. Sure enough, I saw the car, my brother, and his friend talking away over by some of the benches. Evan looked up and waved me over. I drove up to them, rolled down the window, and stuck my head out. "Hey, Sis," he said.

"Hi, Ev," I said. "Couldn't get a game in?"

"We got a short one in," said Trevor. "One on one. Three to three. Then the little kids came and chased us off with snowballs. I can take one, two, maybe three of them, but I swear, it was about THIRTY little kids and about a HUNDRED snow balls. I've never seen so many waddling snowsuits in my entire life!"

"Lighten up, Trevor," said Evan. "They're little kids. Let them have fun."

"But I'm loosing my youth! I'm eighteen years old! We're going to college next year! We're almost adults!" said Trevor, a panicky look on his face as he clutched at his hair. "I can't take the pressure! I don't wanna grow up!" He smiled and started to sing briefly. "I don't wanna grow up! I'm a Toys 'R Us Kid!" Then, he began to panic again now that he'd inserted his cheap laugh.

Evan threw his head back and laughed. "So? Think about it. College. We won't have to listen to our parents about curfews, choose even more classes and choose when we take them, and of course, at college, what do you have that you most certainly can't have at home?"

"Frat parties and panty raids?" said Trevor, his eyes suddenly taking on a mischievous sparkle as they widened in wonder. "All the sorority bras and panties and teddies and naked bodies. . . oh. . . I can't wait. . . panties. . . I WANT PANTIES! GIVE ME PANTIES!"

Evan and I stared at him. My brother laughed dumbly, scratching his head. "Actually, I was going to say college food like pizza and burgers, but close enough," he said. He turned to me. "You done talking with the Senshi? So soon? You guys usually spend several hours together."

"They all have stuff to do. Tiger Lily took another stop sign," I said.

"By Fenway Stadium. I was wondering what the jagged metal was doing there," said Trevor, looking thoughtful as he put a finger to his chin. He shrugged. "If I see her around I'll tell her to try there." He stretched, yawning. "Well, I'm going to Blockbuster. I have studying to do."

"Studying?" I asked.

"I have to get ALL the classics. _Revenge of the Nerds_, _Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds II, III _and _IV_-" Trevor rattled off, counting on his fingers as he went. He grinned. "If I'm going to be a successful frat boy, I need to start studying the masters like the Nerds and the Animals."

Evan and I gave each other a long look before my brother and I got into my car. "Bye, Trevor," we said in unison. We waved cheerfully at the dumbfounded Hawaiian as we drove off. I looked at Trevor through the rear-view mirror, laughing to myself. Evan was guffawing as he hollered something at Trevor. All in all, it was normal behavior for my brother and I.


	5. Chapter Four

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Four: Devestation

(Kento)

It should've been a normal Sunday. By all means, a normal Sunday.

It was one of those days you remember for the rest of your life for a bad reason. One of those days that you wake up feeling normal until the bad thing happens, whether you find out your parents are headed for a divorce, or your dog gets hit by a car. Your best friend moves away to another state and you never hear from him again. Someone tells you they have cancer and it's become terminal.

One of those days.

Everyone living at Mike's house was home except for Sue Lee and Cara- Cara had a photography project due and Sue Lee was the subject, so she'd taken the little girl out to find a pile of leaves for her to play in. Mike was doing some research, and Sage and I were flipping channels.

Well, I was channel surfing. Sage, on the other hand, was not.

Instead of learning to drive like normal people, the last Flitteree took a leaf from Rona's book and looked into motorcycles instead and received his license to ride one. Sage had just saved up enough money to buy a motorcycle and had purchased a half-decent used Yamaha earlier that day. He hadn't shut up about the bike for two straight hours and I was getting a little sick of hearing about how fast it was or how many miles to the gallon it got.

"The guy that sold it to me said that the previous owner won some ribbons at a motorcycle convention for all these performance categories," said Sage, nodding proudly. "She was the fastest, the smoothest, the shiniest, voted best in show. I don't know WHY the guy gave it up or WHY I got it so cheap. Oh, wait, that's right, the guy bought a really expensive bike and gave that bike to the guy I bought it from, and because he liked me and I have a quick tongue I was able to talk to the price down."

"Sage?" I asked after stopping on a rerun of some sitcom. He looked at me, beaming, waiting for me to ask some ludicrous question about his new toy. _For all the good his bright and cheery instincts are doing him good, I think they're doing ME bad. _"You know what you can do with that motorcycle of yours?" I said.

"Yeah?"  
"You can shove it up your-"

"We interrupt the regularly scheduled program to bring you this news bulletin."

The motorcycle placed out of mind, Sage and I looked at the TV, and seeing that, indeed, instead of the sitcom, the local news anchorman and woman were sitting behind the news desk instead. "What the heck?" asked Sage. "The news doesn't start for another few hours. Why are they on now?"

"Shh," I said, holding up a hand. My armor was going crazy, doubled by my senses as a seer. "I want to hear this." I had a gut feeling in my stomach that this was going to be important. VERY important. The two of us stayed silent as we watched the news bulletin flash across the screen.

"Boston authorities have just reported a double homicide in the urban area of the city. The victims, a married couple, were found in their home with numerous broken bones, stab wounds, and gunshot holes by their teenage son and daughter just an hour ago. Police are investigating as we speak, interviewing neighbors and the victim's children to try and determine who would have committed what is considered to be the most malicious and gruesome crime of the year for Boston," said the anchorwoman.

"Damn," said Sage.

"We're just now getting live footage from the scene of the crime," said the anchorman as the screen changed to show a house swamped with police cars, the yellow cop tape, and numerous paramedics and news crews. The scene was a madhouse of chaos as drivers stopped to see what was going on and the police tried to chase them off.

It wasn't all that I cared about however.

"Holy shit," I said, standing up. "It CAN'T be." My eyes widened in terror as I my mind began to spin out of control. I knew that house. I knew the cars in the driveway. I knew the neighborhood. I knew the people who lived in that house. My heart nearly stopped as the realization began to slowly sink in.

"That's Keisha's house!" Sage exclaimed pointing at the TV. "Oh God no, not-"

I stared at the television, watching the scene as my entire being was sent into shock. Keisha's house. Her parents. . . her parents had been murdered. It was the Narrlobi's that the news was talking about. It was Keisha and Evan who'd walked in to find them dead. "Oh, oh no. . . oh God no. . ." I said, panicking. Before my mind reacted, my legs took over and ran me out the front door.

* * *

I don't think I let up the whole five miles to Keisha's house. I was in a dead sprint, only caring that I got there as fast as possible. All I could think of was the image of the Narrlobi household, police cars and tape all around. _Please let this all be some cruel trick. Let it be another house, just don't let it be her!_ I mentally screamed.

The Narrlobi's had been more than kind to me. Since the girls had decided to tell their parents about the fact that they were Ronins, they (duh) knew what was going on. They knew the risks involved to their daughters/nieces. After Sage, Cye, and I ended up in Boston without a clue, all of them were very nice to us. For Sage, it had been Mr. Santana and Sam's Aunt Ella. For Cye, the Lewis'. For me, it was the Narrlobi's. Going there made me feel like I was part of a family again. Not that Mike's house wasn't great, but Keisha's family was almost normal. I felt safe there. There, I felt like I was at home.

I skidded to a stop two houses down from my destination. I froze to see that Sage and I had been right- it WAS Keisha's house. My jaw dropped in astonishment as it slowly began to sink in. Yellow police tape. Cruisers and ambulances all around. Reporters and policemen and potential witnesses crowded the front lawn as I stood there, dumbfounded by the events. Ready to scream, I bolted towards the front of the house.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

I barely acknowledged the officer as I bolted in through the front door. What I found there was even worse. Two body bags lay on the floor, no doubt containing Keisha's parents' remains, a distorted set of chalk outlines on the hardwood floor of the living room, where puddles of blood were still sitting. One of the puddles had been tampered with, part of it seemed to have been soaked up by something. The twisted metal piles that had once been the Narrlobi's wheelchairs were in a heap in a corner, looking very similar to scrap metal in a junkyard. Police were swarming around the house, dusting for fingerprints and reporting finds into walkie-talkies.

"HEY! This is an official crime scene, kid get the hell out of here!"

I turned to the police officer who'd yelled at me earlier. "Who did this!" I demanded. I held a fist in one hand, the arm shaking from the solid grip I'd formed. My old temper had been set of, the violent anger that I hadn't felt in so long being magnified by it's long sleep from the long silence. "Who killed them?"

"That's what we're-"

"HOW THE HELL CAN YOU REMAIN SO DAMNED CALM WHEN THERE ARE TWO PEOPLE LYING DEAD?" I screamed, grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him into a wall. "PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND YOU'RE ACTING LIKE IT'S NO GOD DAMNED BIG DEAL! LIKE HELL IT IS!"

"Kento, stop it!"

I calmed, turned my head to see a tear-strung Keisha behind me. I dropped the cop, turning to my partner in arms as my anger subsided. Her jeans and shirt were stained a crimson red, telling me that she had been the reason some of the blood had been soaked up.

FLASH!

My mind played me a disturbing scene of Keisha huddled over her mother's barely recognizable body, sobbing hysterically into the lifeless form. "Mama! NO!" she wailed, trying desperately to search for some sign of life from her mother. None came, and she continued to cry.

FLASH!

I nearly stumbled backwards, putting a hand on my forehead. Regaining my composure, I half ran up to Keisha. I placed my hands on her shoulders and looked her over, making sure that she wasn't hurt. Aside from being really upset and covered in her parent's blood, she looked like she was physically all right. "Keisha, did they hurt you? What happened?"

Keisha collapsed into me, crying her eyes out. "Oh God, Kento, they're gone, they're gone!" she wailed, her tears soaking the front of my sweatshirt. "Killed them! Slaughtered them!" I hugged her tightly, knowing that I'd crush her if I held her any more. She accepted the embrace and continued to sob, holding me for support. I looked up at several police officers who'd come over to see what was going on between me and the other officer.

"What happened here?" I asked. I held Keisha tighter, her shaking, sobbing form fueling my need to know what had happened. _Her parents are dead, Keisha's a wreck, and I don't even know how Evan's taking this. Someone hurt my friends and my love and I'm not going to stand for it! _"Who did this?"

An important looking police officer, probably a captain or a lieutenant, stepped forward. He was a tall, chubby man with a balding head and a thick, black mustache that seemed to twitch with the officer's movements. "Young man, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the scene. This is an official investigation and-"

"I'm not leaving here until I get a God damned answer!" I said. I let Keisha go and got right into the officer's face. "What sick bastard came in here and did this? Who killed them? Why are you all acting like you don't give a damn about what happened here? Don't you realize that while all of you can go home to your families that Keisha and Evan won't ever be able to do that again?"

"We do care!" said the man, getting right back into my face. Apparently he was good at arguing, too. I was going to have to prove I was better. "Some sick son of a bitch is running around Boston, mutilating families and. . . God, in all my years on the force I've never seen anything this bad! These people were tormented as their killer took their lives!"

"What the hell happened here!" I said.

A young woman walked up, looking nervous. "The victims were found just over an hour ago with numerous stab and bullet wounds as well as a broken bone in every limb of the body. They'd been dead for an hour by the time the couple's children arrived home," she said.

"Who would do this!" I asked. "They were a well respected-"

"All right, sonny, I think it's time you went home to your OWN parents," said the officer I'd been arguing with. He looked pretty pissed off at me and sent me a very angry glare. "This is a crime scene and you can't be here interfering with this investigation! I should have you arrested for assaulting a police officer-"

"Officer, please!" Keisha interjected, her tears still falling. The police turned their eyes to her, as did I. "He's just as upset over this as Evan and I are! My parents treated him as if he was their son as well! Don't arrest him, please! I beg of you! He just wants to know what happened here as badly as I do!"

The large man seemed to take sympathy with Keisha's pleas for my well-being. He turned to the other officers in the room, jerking his head towards the front door. "Get him off the property. Don't arrest him and don't press any charges- the little lady is upset enough as it is," he said, sounding a little annoyed.

"But Chief, this little-" the officer who I'd pinned the wall tried to argue.

"I said get him off the premises. Don't question me. Just do it," he said. Swearing ever cuss word I knew in all three languages I spoke, scratching with all my strength, and throwing one of the biggest fits I have ever thrown in my entire life, I lashed out as seven officers dragged me out of the house.

"I SWEAR I'M GOING TO KILL THE GOD DAMNED SON OF A BITCH WHO DID THIS! YOU HEAR ME? THIS SICK BASTARD ISN'T GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS! THE NARRLOBI'S ARE NOT GOING TO DIE IN VAIN!" I screamed.

* * *

"Keep an eye on him," said one of the officers who'd held me down just a few minutes earlier. I stared groggily at the officer, blinking slowly. "Make sure that he doesn't get up again- I am NOT fighting with that kid again. What the hell are his parents feeding him? He's strong as an ox!"

"I don't think he's going anywhere for quite a while," said another.

I half listened to what they were saying. I honestly don't remember much after I was dragged out of the house. After nearly breaking a few arms and legs, they'd decided

that I would be happier doped up on some sedatives. My head was clouded and foggy, every thought a struggle to think through. Suddenly the murder seemed so far away. I was totally calm, relaxed, and sick to my stomach. Every image I saw was blurry and mismatched, a few images doubled over.

They'd put me up against the side of the house, one of the larger officers standing by. I think it was, at least. It was kind of hard to tell from all the drugs they'd stuck me on. Someone spoke to the officer, the officer responding. I vaguely sensed someone come up to me, an orange and black blur in front of me. "Kento. . ."

"Keisha," I said. I felt something crawl into my lap and lay their head on my shoulder. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her, gently holding her as she sought comfort from me. I felt her relax a little, though she was still very tense and shaken by the day's events. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," she said, the tears beginning to return. "Kento, why did they have to die? Why did someone have to kill them? They were just fine this morning. We were all sitting around the table eating breakfast and talking and- Kento, I'm never going to see them again! They're never going to see me and Evan graduate or get married or have children or- oh, why did they have to die?"

"I don't know," I said, still a little doped up. I felt something wet and sticky brush up against my face. Keisha's hand, still carrying her mother's blood on it. Her mother's life blood. I reached a shaky hand up to touch her hand, clutching it. "I got a little too rowdy back there."

"I'm not mad about that," she said. "Please, just hold me." She fell into my shoulder again. I absently obeyed the command, trying to gather up enough thought and energy to rock her back and fourth. She cried her eyes out, clinging to me like a little girl. I hushed her, trying my hardest to support her even in my drugged up state. They'd have to use every last shot of sedative in the state to get me to the point where I wouldn't be able to comfort my girlfriend.

In the distance I heard what remotely sounded like the screeching of a motorcycle. I wondered why there was a motorcycle around, then went back to holding Keisha. She had her arms around my neck and her head buried into a shoulder. I think I rubbed her back, but like I said, I was still pretty doped up.

"Kento! Keisha!"

I looked up, blinking to see a two-headed Sage standing over us. Both heads looked concerned as the body knelt down to look at us. I felt Keisha turn her head into my shoulder, signaling that the only person she wanted to have anything to do with at the time was me. "Wha. . .?"

"He had to be sedated," I heard someone say.

"Wonderful," said Sage's two heads as they turned to the officer. "Can you tell me what happened?"  
"Are you a friend of the victims?"  
"Yes, now can you please tell me what happened?"

As the officer explained things to Sage, I continued to hold Keisha. I leaned my head back up against the vinyl siding of the house, gently stroking her head. I closed my eyes, tears beginning to streak down my face. Of all the things that I had seen as a Ronin Warrior, this was the toughest.

Someone had murdered Mr. and Mrs. Narrlobi.

Someone was going to pay.

But having Keisha sobbing as she was in my arms, I knew- even from my sedated state- that there were other things that had to be taken care of first. There'd be plenty of time for revenge later. But not at that moment. No. There needed to be time to heal before that ever happened.


	6. Chapter Five

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Five: Gone Forever

(Keisha)

After Evan and I found our parents lying dead in our living room, my emotions were sent into a frenzy. My blood went still, my heart stopped, and a scream died in the back of my throat. The cold chill in the house overtook up both, the horrifying reality of what we saw sinking in.

My mother was the first one we saw- she had been left closest to the door. Both of her legs had been snapped into unusual positions, the front of her shirt bloodied from a deep gash in her neck as a puddle of crimson surrounded her head like an angel of death. Her eyes remained open, wide from the last moments of terror that her life had been. Her wheelchair lay beside her, a nearly unrecognizable heap on the floor.

Our father was in worse condition. Huge slashes lined his arms and face, a bullet hole in the side of his head, right above his ear. His arms were bent in the wrong direction, and one foot had been nearly severed from his leg. A piece of metal from his wheelchair had been driven through his chest. He was almost unrecognizable, the remainder of his body so badly disfigured.

It had taken us a few minutes before we'd called the police, too nerve wracked to think of it. I had been cradling my mother's body, begging for her to wake up even though I knew deep down inside that there was nothing left but the body. My armor sensed no life force coming from either of my parents.

After the police came, one officer took Evan upstairs to clean him up while I was questioned. I kept breaking down, unable to handle the emotions running through my system. My parents were dead and they wanted to rub it in? I screamed at them to go away, to leave me alone. I didn't want to answer any of their damned questions! I wanted my mommy and daddy!

Somehow, Kento bursting in had made me feel better. My boyfriend was screaming at the police officers, holding me as he lost his temper. His thick, strong arms made me feel safe, his smell and warmth comforting me. Even after he'd been drugged by the police, he'd still held me, promising me that we'd find out who'd done it.

Not long after Kento arrived, Sage came along, followed shortly by Mike. After explaining they were friends, the police told him that he could take us back to Mike's house after they'd questioned Evan and myself more thoroughly. I listened from Kento's lap, wrapping my arms more tightly around his neck, burying my head further into his shoulder. I didn't want to answer any more questions- why didn't they understand that?

The police won out in the end. Evan and I were sent to be questioned about what we'd found. It had taken three hours of break downs, crying, and cops yelling at us before they let us leave with Mike. By then Kento had sobered up from the sedatives and was a little more consoling than he had been, literally carrying me out to the car as I sobbed in his arms. Sage sent an ice cold glare to one of the police officers, accusing them of being insensitive. Trevor had shown up to help Evan, the eldest Lewis child more serious than we were all used to.

The ride back to Mike's was spent in mostly silence. I cried, Kento holding me tightly in his lap. He gently rocked me back and forth, letting me let it all out. Kento had calmed down, knowing that I needed him to cry on. I didn't need him to joke around. I didn't need him to tell some bully off. I didn't need him to kiss and romance me. I didn't need him to help me use my powers or assist me during a battle. Then and there, I only needed him to hold me. And he complied.

The first night without my parents felt strange. My emotions were still a mess. I was still crying. Evan was lost, not showing any emotions or signs of life. When Mike led me to one of the guest rooms, I couldn't sleep there. I stayed in a corner, rocking myself gently back and forth on my heels, staring at the bed emptily.

Kento must have sensed my distress. He came in around eleven to check on me. I was still in a dazed state in my corner, trying to convince myself it was all just a bad dream. A horrible nightmare. When he saw me curled in up in the corner, he held me as I began to cry again. "Shh," he said. "It's all right to cry, Keisha, it's okay to cry."

I clung to him again, feeling weak and powerless. With all the power I held, I felt so helpless in the face of what had happened. Kento picked me up and brought me over to the bed in the guest room. He laid us down and let me cuddle him through the night, comforting me like a giant teddy bear. He made me feel safe, something that I had honestly thought I'd never feel again.

I think that no matter what most people my age say about their parents, its always their mother and father that they turn to whenever they're really scared about something. Whenever I got nightmares as a little girl, I would always run into my parent's room, where my dad would usually let me sleep with him and mom. When people at school made fun of me for not having as much money as they did, my mother always reassured me that I had the better morals and values. They were the ones I turned to sometimes when I felt overwhelmed about my destiny and the other Ronins weren't available.

But there was Kento, holding me and coaxing me. He wasn't a complete replacement for them, but he helped to fill the void that their murders had left. Kento didn't love me like my parents did, but he definitely DID love me, just in a different way. My parents loved me as their own child, which I was, I am, and I will be for all time- nothing can ever change that. Kento loved me as someone to talk to, to kiss, and to be with. And this was the kind of love I needed.

Needless to say I didn't go to school the next day, and neither did Evan. Sage and Kento stayed home with us. Sage tried fruitlessly to get Evan out of his shell while Kento and I spent the day talking. My boyfriend didn't say much, mostly letting me do the talking. I went on about how I felt about the whole thing, about how much I missed them, and how much I was going to make their murderer(s) pay. He understood that I'd just gone through the most tragic loss I could have undergone in my young life and mostly nodded, giving me an occasional comment of reassurance. I cried a lot that day, the emotions running through my system too difficult for me to really get a good grip on. I could get a grip later. I needed time to mourn and I was taking it.

Hours passed. I was lying down in Kento's room on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. My armor orbe was sitting on my chest, the pale, milky orange glistening from sunlight pouring in through the bay window. I closed my eyes, trying to relax. The Senshi half of my brain told me that while the loss of my parents was a tragedy, I needed to be able to place those emotions aside if something happened- I couldn't break down crying over my parents in the middle of a battle if something decided to attack. It was a responsibility I shared with the other Ronins, Anubis, Cara, Dash, and even Tiger Lily, I guess. If I screwed everyone else up, the world was lost. . .

* * *

Sometime during those lazy hours, I must have dozed off, since the next thing I remember must have been a dream. There was just no way it could have been real. Had it been real. . . well, it just couldn't have been real, or else apon my awakening the others would have been in a panic.

The dream took me to a wild African grassland, the grass tall and dead, giving the plain a strange, golden color. But it was a creepy gold, a gold that wasn't filled with richness or goodness. It was golden hue that reminded me of stories Kento had told me about Talpa's palace- pretty, but filled with evil.

I looked down at myself to see that I was wearing two brown pieces of cloth, a long one around my waist and a shorter piece covering my breasts, one shoulder strap free. My hair was done up in a high, tight pony tail and I was decorated with silvery and golden jewelry. A tall, bare wooden stick was in my hand, a walking stick of some sort. "What kind of a dream is this?"

My eyes caught a glimmer in the distance and I felt a need to see what that glimmer was. I started to walk towards it, making use of the tall staff. It somehow seemed. . . natural. I was walking at a fast pace, just short of a jog. I felt the grass up against my mostly bare legs, felt loose dirt and pebbles under my feet. The only thought in my mind was to reach that glimmer.

"That glimmer is something you cannot touch, Hardrock of the Senshi."

I turned my head to see an old man was standing next to a dying tree, leaning up against it. He wore deep blue and white robes, a brown pouch slung around his neck. His hands and feet were wrapped in white linen, sandals adorning the latter. Covering his eyes was a large, brown hat that looked a lot like a rice bowl. As a soft breeze rolled by, long white hair followed, flowing coolly like water in a stream. But what really caught my eyes was the familiar golden staff in his hand.

"Ancient. . . Ancient One?" I asked, my eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes, young one," he said, standing up and walking to me. The Ancient stepped towards me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, unable to find his eyes. _This is the man who created the armors. This is Anubis' teacher. The person who held Kento and the other Ronin Warriors during their first war with Talpa. _"I know why you seek me, Keisha."

"You. . . you know my name?" I asked. "But you never met me! How can you know who I am?"

The Ancient smiled. "Once I learned that the Child of Destiny had been conceived, I made plans to find the other nine Ronins of his generation," he said. "I paid a visit to every one of you. I'm afraid you don't remember our meeting, though. You were still a very small infant."

The part about the Ancient wasn't the part that I cared about. "Then you knew Cye was. . ."

"Yes, I did," said the Ancient. He chuckled. "However, it was not information they, the Ronin Warriors, needed. The Age of Legends was not supposed to be revealed until after all ten Ronins had faced off against the source of their armors, and at this point you have all done just that."

"Talpa and Trulpa. . ." I said.

"But that is not why I am here. I am here because you understand that if you, the other Senshi, your lover, and the other two Ronins you are in contact with are attacked, then you must be strong enough to fight alongside them or else loose the Mortal World," he said. The Ancient placed a hand on my shoulder. "There is no arguing that your parents' murder was a tragic and violent death. But they left you and your brother with a precious gift."

"A gift?" I asked.

"Life," he said. I narrowed my eyes, unsure of what he was telling me. "You were both created out of their love for each other and you both brought happiness to them these past eighteen years. Even through your poverty, they were happy with you. Their last thoughts were most likely concern that you and Evan would escape their fate."

I placed a hand over my chest. "This isn't making me feel much better."

"I do not come here bearing comfort," he said. I looked up at him. Well, why was he here then? "I come here to tell you who to turn to for comfort. Aside from your brother, your heart cries out only for one more person. The one that you've spent most of your time seeking your comfort from."

That was an easy answer. "Kento," I said.

The Ancient smiled a somewhat knowing smile. Even though I could tell he was old, there was an almost youthful charm to the simple grin. "Yes. The two of you are very close, and it's a closeness I enjoy watching from afar. The love you share means more now more than it ever has before."

I wasn't sure what the Ancient was talking about. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Simple," he said. "When you met Kento, what condition was he in?"

"Getting his ass kicked by Shinshu?" I asked.

The Ancient One shook his head. "Not that. He was alone. He was thousands of miles away from his family and friends, a whole dimension away from the only people he had ever known and loved. His family, his friends, and his then home. Then you came into his life and suddenly he wasn't by himself. Kento had someone to confide in, to hold, and to love. I don't think that the two of you have the slightest clue just how much you mean to the other yet," he said.

I almost smiled at that. Knowing that I meant that much to Kento felt good inside.

"Now, you are in a very similar position. Your parents have passed on to the next world, your brother has, as you say, clamed up, and, right now, the only one you truly have to lean on is your lover. He's now playing the role that you have played these past months that you've known him, and you're the one needing comfort and consolation. You need each other," he explained.

I stepped closer to the Ancient. "I don't understand," I said. "I know that I love him but-"

The Ancient silenced me again. "Soon, you will understand what I mean, young one. I would suggest waking up- someone is awaiting your awakening. . ."

* * *

I woke up to see Kento leaning over me, hands on either side of my torso, a slight smile on his face. "Feel better after that little nap?" he asked me. "You were out for a while there, but I think that's the most peaceful looked I've seen on you since before yesterday."

I nodded. "I feel a whole lot better, thank you," I said, sitting up. I stretched, yawning. I fell into Kento somewhat on purpose, looking up at him. "So, Kento, what brings you up here aside from the fact this is your room? Any particular reason for coming to see me?"

"Well, for one, I wanted to make sure everything's okay with you. Two, and this is the big one, Sage spotted an elderly black woman outside getting out of a cab." My eyes widened as I realized who it was outside. "Keisha, I think your grandmother is here," he said.

"Grams?" I asked, perking up slightly.

"Seems like it," he said, kissing my forehead. He looked back at me, playing with my hair a little. I relished in the touch, sighing contentedly. "Let's get your hair brushed out a little before we go and meet her, okay? While I don't care if you have bed head from Hell- you're still pretty cute anyways- she might."

I made a very small smile at the comment. "Just grab me a brush, Duck Boy."

"Yeah, yeah, Keisha-chan."


	7. Chapter Six

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Six: Grams

(Kento)

I walked Keisha downstairs, keeping an arm around her waist as she kept her head on my shoulder. Seeing her grandmother would probably make her feel a little better about her parents. It wasn't a replacement, but she and Evan both needed someone from their family to help them heal.

Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, we found Cara sitting on the couch with an elderly black woman. I stopped short, looking the old woman older. She had shoulder length, graying hair. Thick sunglasses covered her eyes and seemed to go well with her denim outfit. _This is a grandmother?_ I thought. _My grandmas never dressed anything like THIS._

Keisha stopped short, looking at the woman curiously. "Grams?" she asked.

The old woman looked up, pulling her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose. "Keisha. . ." she said, standing up. She slowly walked over to us, going up the few steps to where we stood. Cara gave the two of us on the stairs a nod before exiting, heading towards the kitchen. That left us with Keisha's grandmother, who smiled a somewhat cold and indifferent smile at Keisha. "My, how you've. . . grown up."

"Hello, Mrs. Narrlobi," I said.

"Turner," she said. "I was Keisha's mother's mother." She pulled her sunglasses off and slipped them into her pocket. She had a look of curiosity on her face mixed with something that looked like. . . a severe dislike. "Are you my granddaughter's boyfriend?" I nodded. "I see."

"Why are you dressed like that, Grams?" asked Keisha. She looked confused as she eyed her grandmother's outfit. She shook her head. Mrs. Turner raised a confused eyebrow. "You, you never used to wear jeans before. And you never, ever wore your hair down, either."

"They're comfortable, Keisha," she said. "Now, who's the boyfriend?"

"Oh," she said, looking at me. "This is Kento."

"Oh," said Mrs. Turner. "Well. . . are you all right, dear?"

I escorted the two women downstairs, sitting them down in the couch. I put Keisha in the middle, holding one of her hands tightly. My girlfriend looked down at her lap, her eyes narrowed in sadness. "I'm upset beyond words. I've cried so much that I think all of my tears are dried up."

"I understand how you feel," said Keisha's grandmother, putting a hand on her grandchild's shoulder. She looked around the room, her head settling on the stairs. "Where is your brother, Keisha? I would have thought he'd be down here by now to see me. I'm anxious to see how he's fairing in these troubling times."

"He's completely clamed up," I offered. "Evan's shut himself off from the rest of the world. It's been a struggle to get him to eat. All he's been doing is sitting in the guest room we've been giving staring at a wall." I sighed heavily. "No one can get him to open up and come out of this shell he's crawled it."

"Well, I'll fix that- show me where he is," said Mrs. Turner, standing up. She looked at me expectantly, tapping her foot impatiently. "Well? Aren't you going to show me where my grandson is?" I bit my lip. This woman obviously didn't like me very much. Was it something I said or did?

"Yes, I will," I said. I looked down at Keisha. "Do you want to come with us?"

"No," she said. "I'll be fine."

"All right," I said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. I gave her a quick pat on the back. "Just relax and try to collect your thoughts, all right? We're going to find our who was responsible and we're going to bring them to justice. Whoever did this is not going to get away with it, all right?"

"Okay," said Keisha, giving me a weak smile. My heart sunk. I missed seeing her smile and hearing her laugh. That was one of the things I loved about her- Keisha, when she was happy, had a way of making everyone else around her happy. But with her sad like this. . . everyone seemed sad. I missed that glow. _Give her time, Kento. She's hurting right now._

I led Mrs. Turner upstairs to the guest room Evan was staying in. I let her in, then went back downstairs to check back on Keisha. She had curled up against one of the throw pillows, crying softly again. I crept downstairs to sit next to her. She silently accepted my comfort, allowing me to cuddle up to her. We sat in silence, Keisha's head buried into the pillow.

"Oh, Kento, why'd they have to die?" she asked after several minutes.

"I don't know," was my first response. I leaned into her. "Someone, some vicious, blood thirsty, cowardly person, decided to take their lives. It was something they had no right to do, and when we find out who did this, they're going to pay. Whether they die in a police prison cell, execution room, or at the hands of you or me, they're going to pay for what they've done."

Keisha leaned up to me. "Thank you," she said. "I needed to hear that."

"I know," I said. "I won't let that happen to you or Evan if I can help it."

Keisha didn't say anything to that with words, but she acknowledged the action by taking my hand. She brought it up to her cheek and rested up against it and the pillow. I clasped the hand she held mine with, getting a relaxed sigh from her. She was healing. She was getting better. Keisha was going to get through this. WE were going to get through this.

"Er herm."

The two of us shot up from instinct to see Mrs. Turner and Evan standing at the bottom of the stairs. Evan was still in the clothes he had been wearing the day of the murder, all wrinkled and messy looking. His eyes had dark circles under them and he still looked very shaken by the whole situation.

I hated to see Evan like that. Keisha's brother is a pretty cool guy. We joked a lot about what the best strategies to sell younger siblings were, watched football, and did guy stuff sometimes. He was almost as much of a brother to me as he was to Keisha. He, too, was my friend.

"The police have cleared out of the house," said Mrs. Turner. "We're allowed to return home."

Keisha nodded, turning to me. I hugged her, whispering my love to her into her ear. She returned it, kissing my cheek before she went to her grandmother, grabbing her jacket off the coat rack. I went to the door as they loaded into the cab and drove off.

For some reason, I didn't want to see her go.

* * *

A few days later, we hadn't seen hide nor hair of neither Keisha nor Evan in school. We expected that they wouldn't be in school for a few days, but we had heard NOTHING from them. No phone calls, e-mails, not anything. I knew that they certainly wouldn't be calling for pleasure, but we were expecting SOMETHING.

That something was information on when the Narrlobi's funeral was going to be. We'd been checking the newspapers for their obituaries, but when we finally did find them, there was nothing on when any of their services were going to be. I think it was Rona who suggested that maybe the police were withholding the bodies for either an autopsy or to continue looking for evidence.

I was starting to get worried. While I hadn't ever dealt with a death from a murder before, I knew something was wrong. Murder or not, their was still supposed to be a wake and a funeral for family and friends to say good-bye. Even if I couldn't attend, I still wanted to be able to put flowers on the grave. Be able to go there and say my own good-byes and say thank-you for treating me like family.

I decided that the only thing to do was to go over to Keisha's house myself. I drove over to Keisha's house, feeling nervous the whole way over. When I parked my car on the curb and got out, I saw that the house seemed eerily quiet. I wondered if they were out, but decided to try anyways. I cautiously walked up to the door and knocked.

I waited. Nothing happened. I was ready to go when my ears picked up the sound of what seemed to be the TV. I didn't know their grandmother very well, but I knew that Keisha nor Evan would leave something on when they weren't home. I knocked a little harder, knowing that someone would have to come sooner or later.

Keisha's grandmother opened the door a crack and stuck her head out. "Oh, it's you," she said.

"Hi, mind if I come in for a second?" I asked.

"What for?" she spat.

I was taken aback by her rude attitude. "Actually, I just wanted to talk to Keisha-"

"No," she said.

"Is she busy?"

"No."

"Then why can't I talk to her?"

"Because I said so."

I was beginning to get a little annoyed with the old woman. "Look, on behalf of Keisha and Evan's friends, we're all getting worried. By today they should have let us know something about the funeral or the final services. I tried calling but the phone just kept ringing. What's going on?"

"None of your business," she said. "Get away from here."

"What?" I asked.

"You heard me. Leave, or else I'll have you arrested for harassment. Keep the hell away from my grandchildren and you can keep your clean record, assuming you have one," she said. I nearly fell over. WHAT? Arrested! Arrested for worrying about my girlfriend's well-being?

"What are you talking about?" I said. "I just-"

The elderly woman grabbed my hand, wrenching me forward. She placed her hand to mine. "See that?"

"See what?" I asked. I looked at the collection of rings on her fingers. I smiled, impressed. I investigated the jewels with my free hand, my armor sensing part of my element close by. "Nice cuts. You must be seeing a fine jeweler. Are those fourteen or twenty-four carats?"

"Well, actually, they're eighteen karats- THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH JEWELRY!" she said in a sudden explosion. Her eyes grew dangerously narrowed, and for a second I thought I saw a flash of red. A shiver was sent up my spine. Keisha's grandmother was a nut job!

"Ma'am, Mrs. Turner, please, tell me what's bothering you," I said. "I can't help but feel that you don't like me. If it's something I said that offended you Monday night I sincerely apologize for whatever it was and if there's anything I can do to make it up to you I'll do it. I understand this is a difficult time for you. It is for me, too. Your daughter and her husband were both very kind to me and I miss them very much as well."

"You shouldn't be with my granddaughter. You're not her type," she said.

"Not. . . her type?" I asked, not sure what she was talking about. Not her type? "I don't understand. We get along good, have a lot of interests in common, we have a great time whenever we go out. Why am I not her type, Mrs. Turner?" Then, the hands thing came back to me, and I understood.

"You're oriental, and she's black. You two can't be together," she said. "Keisha should be seeing black boys, and you should go down to China town to pick up a girl. I don't want her to end up in some biracial relationship. I want her a strong, solid, loving black relationship. Evan, too."

I paled. "You mean just because we were born different races you aren't going to let me see her?" I said. Keisha's grandmother nodded. I paled. _No. This can't be happening. Keisha's parents were so supportive. Why is she shutting me out?_ "But, I love her. Isn't that all you need in a relationship?"

"You THINK you're in love, sonny boy. It can't work. You know it, and I know it. She'll be happier if she's with someone else of her own race and so will you, so get out of here. Right NOW!" I stared at the old woman in disbelief. She pointed towards the car. I slowly turned around and walked back to the car, my heart broken in two.

Later than night, I couldn't sleep. I felt unsettled and alone. One of the most important people in my life had been snatched away from me and I felt insecure. I felt empty inside, like my life had lost some of its meaning. _Keisha. . . how could this possibly happen to us?_

Yeah, I'd have girlfriends before. A few puppy love romances in late elementary school and my first date in junior high. The list of my ex-girlfriends was very short, but still, there was a list. Had a few nasty break-ups with some of them, too. But none of them had ever felt this bad. This just tore me in two pieces.

I walked through the sliding door that led to the small balcony leading off my room. I shuddered as my bare feet stepped into the snow that was falling that evening. I watched in silence as the soft white puff-balls fell silently from the sky, some landing in my hair or on my pajamas.

I brushed some of the snow out of my hair, sighing heavily. The scene was so peaceful and serene. Part of me had wished the snowfall would wait for that Sunday evening in hopes of a school day, but the rest of me was concentrating on the difficult day I'd had.

I found it hard to believe a mortal woman could possess so much hatred about something so simple and pure as two people in love. What Mrs. Turner was exercising was racism and prejudice to a horrible degree. It's not like I was some abusive drug addict or something. She hated me because I was different from her granddaughter.

Sighing heavily, I went back into my room and tried to get some sleep.


	8. Chapter Seven

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Seven: House Arrest

(Keisha)

After Grams brought me and Evan home, the real nightmare began. She refused to let us leave the house for ANYTHING. No school, no shopping, not even a breath of fresh air. We were trapped inside of our own home. Grams wouldn't even let us leave to attend the funeral.

"It would have been too much for you two to handle," she had said when she got back. She took off our coat and gave us these cold, uncaring looks. "You would've cried to see them like that." She then walked upstairs to her room and shut the door. We didn't see her for the rest of the day.

Well, isn't that part of going to a funeral? Crying? Letting your emotions spill? I was reasonably angry at Grams over the funeral issue. That was supposed to be our last good-bye to them. And she took that AWAY from us! Why did she do that! Dear God, didn't she know we were hurting enough as it was? Why this?

Though I can't say I'm surprised at what she did. Grams had gone psychotic on us and obsessive with us staying at home. She isolated us. She confiscated our car keys. She disconnected the phone (which I think was stupid- who's to say the murderer wouldn't come back for the rest of us? Then how would we get to the police?). Grams even took away the Internet cables on the computer. We were totally isolated from the rest of the world.

On the first Friday of our imprisonment, I was looking out the living room window. I saw Mike's car pull up, Kento behind the wheel. I perked up, happy to see my boyfriend. _Kento's here!_ my instincts told me. I wanted to see him so badly. I wanted to tell him how psycho Grams had gotten on us and how badly I wanted to get out of that house.

"Keisha!" I heard my grandmother screech. "Go to your room. NOW!"

"Can't I say see Kento first?" I asked.

Grams gave me the stink eye. "No," she said. "You shouldn't be seeing that boy anymore."

"What? Why?" I asked, getting upset. "Did Kento do something to get you angry?"

"NOW!"

Seeing there was no use arguing with her, I ran upstairs, stopping at the top of the stairs. After hearing multiple knocks at the door, I heard Grams and Kento start a little conversation that ended with my grandmother kicking Kento off the property after explaining that we couldn't date because of our different races.

I froze at hearing that. How could she say that? Did the color of my skin really matter in my relationships? It couldn't have mattered! Just because Kento was Chinese didn't prevent him from loving me, just like me being black didn't prevent me from loving him. Why was she saying such things? Didn't she see how much he cared about me? About how much I cared about him? What was she doing to us?

I went into my room, shocked and almost embarrassed at what she'd said. Yes, people had commented our differences before, but it had never come from our friends or family before. My parents and my brother embraced Kento willingly. Maybe it had to do with the armors, I don't know, but our backgrounds had never ONCE made them so much as question our relationship.

My grandmother came into my room. "Keisha, how did you get involved with that boy?" she asked.

"A mutual friend," I said. Well, it wasn't a total lie. Anubis had been a mutual friend. . . just one that we'd met through rather unusual and supernatural circumstances, that's all. I looked up at her with frustrated eyes as I sat on my bed. "Grams, why are you doing this to me?"

"You need to be with your own kind," she said plainly. "Black men is what you need. If he wants a girlfriend he should be going to Chinatown like other oriental kids his age. It's not natural, it's not right, and I won't allow it! What's with you, Keisha? Why aren't you looking for a nice boy of your own kind?"

I stared at her in disbelief. "What does our ethnic backgrounds have to do with anything?" I asked. I stood up, staring her down. "We both shed salty tears and red blood, don't we? We breathe the same air, we eat the same foods, and I don't see what difference our skin color makes."

"But he is not like you," said my grandmother, taking my hand. She traced circles over the back of my hand, emphasizing the shade. "Look at your hand. It's a beautiful, dark chocolate brown in color. His is a pale peach color. You should look for someone with the same kind of skin you do, honey."

"So what? Our skin tones aren't a perfect match, big deal," I said. I started to pace back and forth in my room, shooting her the occasional hurtful look. "Grams, I know that we're all affected by what happened to my parents, but why don't you want me to see Kento? If it wasn't for him I don't know how I would have made it through the first few hours after it happened."

"Because he isn't your type!" Grams yelled.

"What makes you think that you KNOW what my type is?" I said. "He loves me, okay? He was right there to comfort me when my parents died. When I cried, he held me and told me that everything was going to be all right. He told me that they'd find the bastards who did it and that they'd pay for what they did!"

Grams growled, then reached over to strike me. My head flew to the side with the contact. I stopped, taking in a few breaths through my nose. "You will no longer see that boy. Maybe I'll let you see someone like you later on, but for now, you and Evan need to stay here with me." My grandmother stood up and walked out.

I fell onto one of my pillows and started to cry.

* * *

Over the weekend, Evan slowly began to come out of his shell. He started to talk again (well. . . one word answers, anyways) and made an attempt to eat. Still, my brother ate by himself and at that, it wasn't a lot. Sometimes he sat in front of the TV, watching the news. I think he was looking for developments on our parent's case, but if there were any, we would have been notified long before the news crews were.

I was pretty much left to myself. I read a lot of books as I tried to pass the time. I missed my parents just like everyone else did, but I had come to some peace with the matter. They were gone, and nothing I could do could bring them back. If it was a Dynasty related death, I could avenge them, but if it wasn't, then I could only let the courts decide. Still, I was at a point where I could think clearly.

It was early in the evening on a Saturday that Grams did something really odd. I was in the middle of a romance novel my mother owned when my grandmother called me down. I didn't mind the call. The words on the pages were swimming around and in my mind, I wasn't reading the real name of the hero- I was reading Kento. I wasn't reading the real name of the heroine, either- I read my own name. The effect was incredibly depressing, reminding me how much I missed him.

I found my grandmother in the living room, a black, velvet box in her lap. She patted to the empty spot on the couch next to me. I smiled weakly and went over to her. I was still upset over her breaking me and Kento up, but she was STILL my grandmother. I took a seat and waited to see what she wanted.

My grandmother took in a deep breath. "I need you to try something on for me," she said.

"Try something on?" I asked. "What?"  
My grandmother picked the box up and opened in. Inside was a large, diamond ring. It glistened in the light of the room, catching my eye. It was crafted beautifully, and was beyond a doubt a flawless cut. It sat on a gold ring that was lined with tiny rubies. It was EASILY worth a few hundred dollars.

"Grams. . . where. . . where did you-"

"Not important. Try it on," she said.

I gasped. "Something this expensive?"

"It IS extremely valuable, you are correct. A friend of mine loaned it to me, and I just want you to try it on. I want to see how it would look on you," she said. "I think it would look much better on a youthful hand like yours and not an older hand such as mine. Now put it on."

I took the ring in my hand and slid it onto my ring finger. It glistened in the light like it had from the box. I held my hand up, twisting my wrist to get a better look at the jewel. I shook my head, looking at my grandmother. "It's beautiful, but I don't think it looks good on me. I don't know if it's my skin tone or my hand shape or whatever, but it looks funny." I took the ring off and placed it in my grandmother's waiting hand.

"Thank you, my dear," she said, smiling. With that, she stood up and walked away. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. Something strange was going on, but I couldn't figure out what. I shook my head, almost ready to laugh at myself. Yes, my grandmother had been acting weird, but that was no reason to jump to conclusions that she was up to something.

_C'mon, Keisha, this is your GRANDMOTHER. What could she possibly be up to? She's just having some racial issues right now, but with a little bit of convincing, she'll know just how you feel about Kento and before you know it you'll be in his arms again, _I tried to reassure myself.

* * *

Time passed and the days rolled by. We still weren't allowed to attend school, and we weren't even allowed so much as in the backyard. Evan and I both had severe cases of cabin fever, having read most of the books in the house twice over. I think Evan started on the encyclopedia and I was working on some of the old cookbooks in the house.

One day, we heard a knock on the door. Grams was out, and, despite what she'd told us about strangers, I opened the door. Outside of the door stood Jerome, a neighbor of ours who went to school with us. He was a huge kid, weighing in at two hundred fifty pounds at a height of six foot eight. Jerome had been the most dangerous linebacker on the football team, doing twice as much damage as Kento could do thanks to his smaller size. But despite his massive strength and size, he was a sweet heart and liked to be called a "gentle giant". Like us, he was black. "Hey, Keisha," he said.

"Hello, Jerome," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, your grandma went to school today and talked to all of your teachers to get your homework. Since I live a few houses down, they sent me to deliver it," he said. Sure enough, he had several books and folders in his arms. "This is everything you two have missed and everything that you'll be covering right up until Christmas break. The only thing you'll have to make up is a couple of tests and a couple of science experiments involving dangerous materials that you couldn't bring home."

I smiled, taking the homework in both arms. I almost fell over from the weight, but Jerome helped me recover. "Thanks, Jerome." He took a few of the books back and helped me bring them inside, setting them on the floor by the coat rack. "Nice to see this is my teacher's way of sending their condolences."

He grinned a huge grin that I knew meant he was up to something. "After you divvy up the books, I got something else for you," he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a folded up piece of notebook paper and plopped it on top of the stack of work. "The person who gave it to me told me that it was for your eyes only."

I blinked. "Well. . . I suppose that's good," I said. "I'll see you when we get back to school."

Jerome looked at me oddly. "Why aren't you in school now? You seem to be in good enough condition to go back now," he said. "I thought you were both pathetic crybabies because of your absence. I mean, your mom and dad. . . I can't imagine what I'd do in your shoes."

"I know," I said. "Grams thinks we need more time to mourn. We miss them and all, but we're starting to get back to normal. Or at least as normal as we're going to get. We're almost done the grieving process and we need human interaction sometime." I sighed heavily. "See you 'round, Jerome."

"See ya, Keisha," he said. He walked down the walkway and I bumped the door closed, then went over to the kitchen table. I pocketed the note and called Evan down to help me sort out of the homework. He came downstairs and gave me an answer in a complete sentence- a big improvement.

As we began to try and decipher what my math teacher had written for me in some form of hieroglyphics, Grams walked in through the door. "Oh, I see the homework got to your two all right," she said. "Now, you kids get to work on that if you get bored around here."

_We've BEEN bored,_ I thought to myself. Evan eventually decided what my teacher wanted, told me what he thought the note said (which made sense and seemed to the right amount of work for the chapter we were on), and I carried the load upstairs as he brought his up to his room.

I dumped the books on the floor, closed the door, and reached into my pocket. I slowly unfolded the note, having a slight inkling as to who it was from. Feeling the note in my fingers almost told me who it was before I even saw any handwriting. Once the note was opened, I started to read it:

****

Keish-

I miss you. I would've talked to you a Friday or so ago, but your grandmother chased me away. I don't know what her problem is, but I want you to know that even though I can't see you anymore, I've been behaving myself (though I think Sheila wishes I WASN'T- can't she take "no" for an answer?) and I hope I can see you again. I saw Jerome collecting your homework third period and decided that I had to have SOME sort of contact with you. He's a nice guy, after all- great football player, too. So I asked him to play carrier pigeon and, the excellent guy he is, he complied. I hope this gets to you!

I guess the only thing I really want to say is that I still love you. Someday, we're going to find a way to be together again and it's only a matter of waiting for that day to come. You're one of the only things on my mind right now and it's driving me crazy to know that I can't hold you. For once I feel so powerless. I felt so powerless when I learned about what happened. I feel powerless to help you now, too, and that hurts a lot, but I know there isn't much I can do except give this to Jerome and hope it can give you at least a little comfort. You don't know how badly I want to make this all go away and make everything go back to normal, but I can't. I don't think even Anubis has that kind of power. You just have to stay strong and remember that life will always go on. Live for yourself and now, live for your parents, too.

Everyone else misses you, too and they continue to send their condolences.

With all my heart and soul,

Kento

PS- S.W.A.K.

I found myself wiping away a few tears as I read the note. He still cared. He missed me. It was the most comforting thing I'd read in days. I wished I could write back to him, but I doubted Jerome would be back anytime soon. Besides, as nice of a guy as he is, I didn't want to get him in trouble for playing love messenger.

Smiling, I brought the note to my lips.


	9. Chapter Eight

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Eight: Missing You

(Kento)

After my forced break up with Keisha, I pulled myself into a little reclusive shell. I didn't talk to anyone much with the exceptions of Cye and Sage. I lost interest in my schoolwork (though Sage managed to get me to do it through some strange miracle of persuasion). I didn't eat as much and spent a lot of time in my room when I wasn't in school.

I was depressed.

A week and a half before Christmas break was to let out, I was sitting in my third period science class, listening to the teacher babble on about nitroglycerin and it's explosive properties. I yawned, bored with the lecture. Mr. Jackson sent me a look, grunting irritably. Out of all my teachers, he was probably my least favorite. I liked Mr. Wimbly compared to him.

"Mr. Rei Fuang, do you find my class boring?" he asked coldly in this high, nasal voice. All eyes turned to me as I tried to shrink down in my seat and disappear. Perfect. Not only was I probably going to get detention from the science Nazi but now I was going to get embarrassed, too. "Because if you do, I can liven it up for you, if you'd like."

"There was a slight crisis last night," I heard Sage pipe up. "One of the other kids that live with us had a really bad stomach bug. Kento stayed up with her for a while. It was SOO bad. She couldn't go fifteen minutes without puking all over the place. The house STILL smells really bad and-"

"That's enough, Mr. Date," said Mr. Jackson. He was turning a slight green color, then went back to his lecture. I sent Sage a look of thanks, which he acknowledged with a slight grin. Cye gave us both a look of disgust at Sage's bluff, ignoring us for the remainder of the lesson.

Of course, it hadn't been a complete lie. Sue Lee DID have a stomach bug that week. In fact, Cara and Mike were taking turns staying home with her. I had stayed with her for a little while, but only a half hour past my normal bedtime. Not nearly enough to get me to the point of exhaustion the next day, but it had SOME truth to it. He just stretched it to save my butt. I would've done the same for him.

There was a knock at the door and Mr. Jackson called the knocker in. Jerome, a fellow football player and Keisha's neighbor walked in. "Mr. Jackson, I'm here to pick up homework for Keisha Narrlobi." After he announced his reason for being there, he saw me and Sage and waved. Naturally, we waved back, looking to annoy our teacher even further without getting a detention. Hey, we knew how to piss off Trulpa without serious confrontation, so a high school science teacher was no problem whatsoever, as long as we didn't yawn in his class.

Mr. Jackson looked at Jerome and nodded. "Why you?"

"Her grandma came in while I was in the office. She was looking for homework for Keisha and her brother. Since I was right in the neighborhood, I offered to collect it and drop it off after school," he said. "So, seeing as Keisha has her science class here, I came here to pick up whatever it is she's missed."

"Do you honestly think my class needed to know that?" said Mr. Jackson, tapping his foot. He sighed heavily. "All right. Class, keep yourselves out of trouble for five minutes while I get some work together for Ms. Narrlobi." He turned to Jerome. "Do you know when she plans to return?"

"No, I don't," he said. He scratched his head, looking thoughtful. "The grandma wanted all the way up through Christmas break, but I don't know how long she plans to keep them home. I mean, her parents were MURDERED and they SAW the corpses when they got home!"

"Enough," said the teacher, looking a little disturbed. "All right." While he began to dig through some folders, I grabbed one of my notebooks. While my fellow students really could've cared less about Jerome's mission for homework, I saw an opportunity knocking and started to write like crazy.

* * *

The end of the day came. I held the note I had written in my hand as I started to look for Jerome. If I could catch him before he left to deliver the assignments to Keisha and Evan, then my idea could very easily work. If not. . . it probably wouldn't, unless one of their teachers forgot something.

I eventually saw him with a pile of books next to him as he stood at his locker, replacing a few and taking some out. "Jerome!" I called. Jerome looked up at me, smiled, and waved me over. I walked up to him and found myself looking up. While I'm by no means a small guy, Jerome was gigantic and I found myself craning my neck to look up at him.

"Hey, Kento, what's up?" he asked.

"Nothing really, but, could you do me a favor?" I asked.

Jerome looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Sure. Shoot."

I gave him the note. "I know you're getting Keisha and Evan their homework." Jerome nodded, pointing at the pile of books at his feet, some of which I didn't recognize. Those must've been Evan's senior year text books. "Could you give this to Keisha for me?" I asked.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Just a note," I said.

Jerome nodded, smiling. "I get it. A love letter. Okay, Kento, I'll get it to her for you."

"Thank you," I said, smiling. "I owe you one."

"Oh, no you don't," he said, laughing. He smiled happily. "You and Keisha are a nice couple. The way you made her smile is something short of magnificent. I swear, she was a happy chick before she met you but after she met you it was like a whole new person. I'd love to see you guys get back together."

"I'm hoping she does, too," I said. "Look, I've signed my name in it and she knows my handwriting pretty well. You don't have to mention my name to her- she'll know. And besides, her grandmother would have a conniption if she found out that I wrote a note to her- she hates me for some reason."

"All right, all right, I get the idea! Big secret mission, the grandmother is not to find out, I got it!" he said, holding his hands up in mock defense. "Anything I can do I will do!" Jerome patted my shoulder, smiled and bid me good-bye as he walked off. I watched him go, keeping my fingers crossed.

* * *

Days passed, and soon, Tuesday the fifteenth rolled around. There was only a few more days left before we were off for Christmas break. Sage had talked me into going over to Cye and Anubis' apartment for a little while. Considering we all had light homework loads (some of the teachers didn't seem to realize vacation didn't start until that Friday, which was fine by me), we watched movies and ate popcorn.

Anubis would've been there, but he had gone out of town with Mike and Cara for some sort of a convention that Mike had gotten two extra tickets to. They wouldn't be back until late that Saturday. Sue Lee was left under mine and Sage's care until their return, though that evening Ria had her. The Senshi LOVE to mother Sue Lee and take every opportunity to do so.

"I LOVE the noisy cricket!" said Cye as the ending credits began to roll.

"Ah, point," said Sage. "But what about the talking dog? He was pretty cool."

"Or the alien birth? THAT was a riot! The giant tentacle just kept smashing him onto the roof of the car."

"That reminds me a little TOO much of our first battle with Talpa," said Sage, shuddering. "Don't you recall that lovely little incident when he picked up Rowen with that giant disembodied hand and started to beat you with him? That looked a little too painful is you ask, me."

Cye went silent. "Let's watch something else," he said, pointing the remote at the VCR.

Sage looked at the small collection of videos on the coffee table from his position on the floor. He picked up a box and took a drink from his soda can before grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it into his mouth. "How's about a round of _Monty Python_ movies to get the evening REALLY going?"

"Yes!" said Cye. "Trojan rabbits, llama induced credits, and the castle of virgins."

"Yeah! 'Run away, run away!'" said Sage, falling over as he began to laugh.

"What do you think, Kento?" Cye asked.

"Hmm?" I asked. I was curled up in the corner of the couch, minding my own business as I drank my soda and absently watched their discussion. I was clutching a pillow, only paying a little attention to the movie and the conversation. When I saw Sage holding up _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_, I shrugged. "Oh, that sounds good."

"Kento, snap out of it. You're not being yourself," said Cye. "Keisha's grandmother is being anal and she's either going to snap out of it or Keisha or Evan are going to give her a reality check and explain that there was a POINT to the civil rights movement."

"I don't know if you understand," I said. "You and Sara don't have the problem I do."

"What about me and Sam?" said Sage. "We're not even the same species and we went out without much of a problem. Well. . . her father tried to kill me but he's a scorch mark on the pavement now, remember? You guys are both human, and if a Flitteree and an Amazon can go out on a date there's still hope."

"Sage, since we still aren't sure what happened to Celeste, you're basically the last one of your species. Sam and Ella are the last two Amazons considering you fried Damion. There's no one to complain about it," I said. "And if I recall it was ONE date- you two decided to just be friends."

"That kills that argument," Sage mumbled.

"But what if it can't work, even if we did get back together?" I said.

"It CAN work. Your racial differences didn't stop you from being together for a solid four months. And you act like you've been dating for four YEARS Kento. There's something special there, and both of you have to admit it. You didn't CARE about your races. You just cared about each other," said Cye.

"I know that," I said. "But. . ."

"You didn't let this get in the way of your emotions before. Heck, right after we beat Trulpa in the first thing you two did was lock lips, and when we had our first encounter with Sheila you told her off and showed your love for her all in the same act. Why are you letting it take advantage of you now?" said Sage.

"Because Keisha's grandmother just shoved it down his throat, that's why," said Cye, folding his arms. He cocked his head to the side, which meant he was getting ready to give a good explanation for a really sucky situation. "She's probably being just a bit overprotective of them right now. Her daughter and son in law were just murdered, after all. She doesn't want to loose her only grandchildren, now does she? Give it time and she'll be back in your arms before you know it."

"Maybe you're right," I said. I thought about what he said, then cracked a grin and started to chuckle. My friends gave me an odd look, seeming to be afraid I had just bought a one way ticket to the loony bin. "You do realize we sound like a bunch of girls right now?"

Sage and Cye both burst out laughing at the comment. I joined in, feeling a little better about what was going on. "Enough about this," said Sage. After taking a thoughtful pose, he looked out the window and frowned. "Dark out. What time is it? We should get home soon if it's too late."

"After nine," said Cye.

Sage pouted. "We have to get back home. It's a school night," he said, sticking his tongue out. "Screw school! Let's just drop out, start a band, and let the Japanese government know where we are, so then the US Government would realize we're actually a bunch of illegal aliens, getting us into a world of trouble!"

"How about not, Sage? Look, we're off next week and a week after that for New Years," I said, reminding myself that while having a happier Sage was good sometimes, he could occasionally get out of hand in his perkiness. "A solid two weeks off from school. Be happy with what we've been given."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," said Sage. He stood up. "C'mon, let's help Cye clean up."

"That's all right, I'll take care of it. You guys get back before Mr. Jackson gives you detention for the rest of the year," Cye said, laughing about the stunt we'd pulled earlier that week. Sage sent Cye a wry grin as I waved and the two of us headed out of the apartment.


	10. Chapter Nine

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Nine: Attacked

(Keisha)

It was Friday the eighteenth. We still weren't allowed outside and I was beginning to get testy and irritable. Evan was just bored out of his mind. We both needed to get out of that house as soon as possible. Sometimes, just to save my sanity, I took out the note Kento had written. It made me feel better and reminded me of the outside world.

The day went by slowly. There wasn't anything we could do and Grams gave us no work. Plus, we'd LONG finished our homework assignments, but strangely, Grams made no action to get more work for us. I think I actually ended up taking a nap that afternoon. It was THAT boring. There was just NOTHING to do.

Around six o'clock, it started to snow. "This is going to be a real nasty one, folks. A full blown snowstorm, and it's a shame for the kiddies that this didn't strike last night because with the way this looks on the satellite they would have DEFINITELY canceled school. Folks, stay indoors after the storm hits because this is going to be a REAL whopper of a snowstorm," the weatherman had said.

And we were running low on batteries and non-perishables.

"What if we have a black out? I'll starve!" said Evan, thinking of his stomach. He whimpered at me, pouting. The two of us were sitting in the kitchen, me idly stirring a cup of hot cocoa while Evan began to get an early case of cabin fever. "I don't wanna starve, Keisha!"

"You won't starve, Evan. We still have cereal and plenty of water. Plus, I think there are some cookies in the back of the cabinet," I said. "If you get hungry and we loose power you can attack those. But unless that happens we have PLENTY of things to eat. That should be the last of your worries."

"Good thing I'm not grounded from the fridge," said Evan, opening the said appliance. He hummed around as he started to pull out some ham and cheese that Grams had bought the day before. As he began to pull out more food, he turned to me with a smile. "Feel like a sandwich?"

"Sure," I said. "I could go for one of those." For some reason, Evan makes the BEST sandwiches in the entire world. He always uses just the right amount of mustard, a hint of mayonnaise, and somehow manages to find the most crisp and juicy piece of lettuce even in the soggiest of heads. I kept telling him to open his own deli when he got older- he'd be rich.

Once the sandwiches were "constructed" ("Sandwich building, Keish, is an ART FORM!"), we ate and talked, mostly about how Grams was treating us. There wasn't anything else to talk about. Realizing we'd beaten that discussion to death, we tried to talk about "sandwich theory" and tried to think of other interesting combinations Evan could experiment with.

Eventually, Grams came out into the kitchen and we ceased our conversation. She had a smile on her face, and suddenly, it seemed as if maybe the old Grams was back. We noticed she had a hand on his hip, as if she were in pain. "Hello, you two," she said, sitting down. "The snow hasn't picked up yet, has it?"

"No, it hasn't," said Evan. He finished off his sandwich, patted his stomach, and belched. I giggled as my older brother let a content grin cross his face. Grams looked less than pleased. Evan ignored the look as leaned back in his chair, balancing himself on the two back legs. "Ah, that felt good."

"Evan! Say 'excuse me'. NEVER belch infront of ladies, young man!" she said.

"Excuse me," he said. Evan looked outside. "How long before it gets bad?"

"Probably another hour or so before that happens," said Grams. "But. . . power."

"We don't loose power often," I said.

"But this is going to be some storm. If we do loose power, it'll be a while before the public service workers can go out and fix the lines. We'll be stuck in the dark all night if that happens. Which is why someone has to go out and buy some food from the corner store," she said.

"Okay, Grams, just be back soon and safely," I said.

Our grandmother put a hand on the small of her back, wincing. Instinctively Evan stood to check on her. She shook her head. "No, my back's bothering me tonight, Keisha dear." She turned to me, her eyes showing me kindness for the first time in a long time. "Would you go out and get some things for us?"

My eyes widened. "I'm allowed outside?"

"Well, I can't go. Just go straight to the store and head back as soon as you're done, all right?" she said. She walked over to her purse, her hand on her back. She pulled out a twenty and handed it to me while I put on my boots and jacket. "Get a few things of soda, some potato chips, and a package of cookies. Junk food. You kids have been on good behavior and it's high time we just had a good time together."

"Can I go, too?" Evan asked enthusiastically. His cabin fever was much worse than mine and he wanted to go out just as badly as I did. He whimpered as Grams shook her head. "Oh, Grams, why not? I'm a big boy, I can handle a stupid little snowstorm! Besides, Keisha might like company, right?"

"Keisha can handle it by herself, Evan, and I'd like some company. You wouldn't want to leave your dear old grandma alone with a bad back in the middle of a snowstorm, would you?" she said. Evan shrugged in response and sat down. He looked disappointed, but he knew the argument was over.

"See you in a little while, Keish," said Evan.

"Okay," I said. I kissed Grams' cheek and gave Evan a quick hug. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. Maybe things were going to turn around soon. I waved as I opened the door, preparing to go outside. "I'll see you both in a little while." With that, I walked out into the softly falling snow.

I tromped down our front walkway, skipping a little. If Grams was being this lenient, maybe she'd start letting us hang out with our friends again. Maybe, maybe I could get back with Kento again! I hadn't seen him of the others in weeks. I just hoped he hadn't gone after some other girl in my absence (though he did say in his note that he hadn't and I don't have any reason to believe he was lying).

Once I left our property, I felt a dark presence. My armor began to react, my weak psychic senses doubling the affect. Cautiously, I looked around and saw nothing but the familiar neighborhood houses. A shiver went up my spine. I laughed a little. "Relax, Keisha," I said to myself. "There's nothing here."

I started down the familiar way towards the corner store. The walk was quiet, the light snowing making it seem almost peaceful. I spun around, catching a few flakes on my tongue. I laughed, feeling happy and free for the first time in a long time. I liked snow. I liked the warm weather better, but I liked snow all right.

Once the corner store was in sight, I picked up the pace of my walk. Just another minute of walking and I could talk to Jack, the kindly old owner of the store. Everyone knew him as a good source of advice and gossip because of how well known he was in the neighborhood. Besides, conversation with anyone outside of Evan and Grams would be welcome. I could ask if any of my friends had been by or if he'd heard anything interesting.

"GET THE GIRL!"

The next thing I knew I was surrounded by five men dressed in black. I tried to scream, only to have one grab me from behind and throw a gloved hand onto my mouth. I kicked and punched with all my anger, desperate to break free. The others laughed at my attempts to escape from him.

_There's got to be a way to get out of here. . . ah ha!_ I thought. I moved my arms around as much as I could, getting an idea. Self defense lesson number 101- always aim for the most painful spot you can think of, and make sure that you hit that spot at all costs.

"AHH!" The man dropped me and fell to his knees, clutching his now extremely sore crotch. He'd be singing soprano for a while, if you know what I mean. Perhaps he'd have some trouble getting a woman pregnant as well. The other four then lunged at me, but now I was ready for them.

"All right, you losers, you're gonna pay for messing with ME!" I said, jumping into a high flying tornado kick, connecting with all four heads. I laughed teasingly, then tried to make my escape. I darted towards the store, knowing they wouldn't attack me there. Not with witnesses!

"I don't think so!"

Someone lunged at me from the side, bringing me down into a snow bank. I wrestled with this assailant, a woman, before getting a good grip on her shoulder. I wrenched it back, dislocating it. She cried out and clutched it, giving me a chance to get up. See how the store wasn't a good idea as they knew that's where I was headed, I took off down another street.

I began to pick random streets and turns, not caring too deeply where I ended up. If it was away from them, then I'd be happy. If I got lost, I'd just find a pay phone and a street sign, then call one of my friends to come and pick me up. I didn't want to call Grams- she'd have a fit that I'd gotten myself lost and wouldn't let me leave the house again. Course I was screwed anyways, especially if I called a friend. But at that point all I wanted was to get away.

I noticed that the four goons from earlier had recovered from my kick and were chasing after me. I screamed and took off as hard as I could, but the icy roads were working against me. I lost control and slid into a snow bank. Seeing that running away was out of the question, I had to fight back.

One of the men was ready to pounce on me. I threw up one leg, smashing him in the forehead. He cried out, one arm lashing out at me. I got up and stepped into the lawn I'd fallen into. I started to pick snow, happy to see it was heavy and wet. That was just the kind of snow I needed right then

Snowball snow.

I began to pelt my attacks with as many snowballs as I could make in the little time I had. Their black outfits were now littered with snow, making them resemble zebras. I almost laughed at the thought, but I had to keep my defenses up. If I could hold them off long enough I could try and run away.

I sensed someone behind me and spun around to see two more men were ready to try and bring me down. I leapt out of the way, avoiding them as they lunged forward, their arms grabbing at nothing. I ran behind them, into the woods. If I could get into the trees, then I was home free.

Two MORE imbeciles were in the woods as well. What were all those ding-dongs coming after me for anyways? I groaned, getting more annoyed with the whole situation rather than frightened. Grabbing a fallen tree branch, I knocked the two away and used it as a small pole vault, making small jumps throughout the woods to get away from them.

Undaunted by my defenses, the two in the woods and few of the others started to chase after me. I continued on, trying to find someplace that I could hide. I looked up and saw a series of low branches that could get me decently high into the tree tops. No way were they going to catch me from up there. Concentrating, I dropped the stick and jumped into the tree.

I clung to the branch, dangling a good fifty something feet in the air (probably with help from my armor and the branch). I was impressed with myself for managing such a feat, and almost laughed to see the figures down below, trying to figure out where I was. They eventually retreated, leaving the woods. I breathed a sigh of relief, watching them go.

Once I was sure they were gone, I slowly made my way back down the tree, careful to not make too much noise. I landed softly in the snow and looked around. I swore, not sure where I was. I sighed heavily, knowing that I would have to try and find my way out on my own.

I closed my eyes and my armor pointed me in a direction that it deemed safe. I started to walk, the snow beginning to pick up the pace. "Great," I said to myself. The full blown blizzard was about to hit and I was stuck outside in the middle of it. "Now what do I do?"

I walked on as the blizzard hit. Winds gushed from every direction, the howling of the trees adding to an eerie disposition. Icicles began to form in my hair, my clothes clothing soaked all the way to my skin. If I didn't find a warm place, soon, I'm catch hypothermia. Knowing that if I kept on going I could create some heat, I didn't stop. But it was getting harder to go. The snow was up to my knees and it was a tiring hike to try and get through to wherever my armor was trying to lead me.

Despite the fact I was following something I deeply trusted- my armor- I was still scared. I was alone, it was in the middle of a blizzard, and I was in the middle of the woods. I tried not to think about someone finding my frozen body after the blizzard ended. No! I wouldn't die. I was going to make it. I was going to find someplace to warm up and everything would be all right. I just had to believe that and everything would be okay no matter what happened.

Eventually, the woods began to take on a familiar pattern. I tried to think of where I was, my mind foggy from the blizzard. The loud gales didn't help me collect me thoughts and neither did the fact that I was cold, wet, and tired. Eventually, my mind settled on what was familiar and I knew that shelter was close by.


	11. Chapter Ten

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Ten: In From the Cold

(Kento)

I sighed heavily as I twirled the phone cord around my finger. I bit my lip as I continued to pace in the living room as Sage talked on the other end. "All right, all right, Sage, just stay over there. Don't get back onto the roads. The heavens have opened up and the roads are probably icy like you read about. It's not like you have good snow tires on that bike of yours, and I don't care how many damned ribbons it won- it won those ribbons on a road that had a condition OTHER than icy."

"You don't mind staying home by yourself? Even in the blizzard?" Sage asked. The last of the Flitteree, while normally carrying a light, happy tone of voice, sounded very concerned and serious. "What if something happens over there? You're all alone, Kento. If you loose power or something it'll be a long time before help can get through to you."

"I'll be fine," I said. "I'm a big boy, Sage. I can take care of it."

"Jerk," he said, laughing on the other end of the line. "Even if you have mellowed out a lot, you're still Kento. All right, if you say so, I'll leave you be. But if you see something bad in that crystal ball of yours I want you to find a way to get somewhere safe, you hear me? Good night."

"Night, Sage. Say hi to Cye for me."

"He says hi," said Sage. "See you tomorrow. Just remember where the batteries and candles and the flashlights are. If the phone line goes dead just stay calm and don't do anything stupid. Don't go out into the storm and play it safe- I don't want to find a dead body when I come home tomorrow, okay?"

"Sage! I'm not a little kid. Contrary to popular belief I can handle this all by myself. Rumor has it, I have a brain and I know how to use," I said with a slight hint of an attitude. Okay, so I was obviously giving Sage some lip, but he was asking for it after telling me the same procedure multiple times over. Sage said one final goodbye before hanging up. I hung up the phone myself and fell back onto the couch. I had the entire house to myself that night.

Mike, Cara, and Anubis you already know about. The convention thingy. Sage was at Cye's apartment. They wanted to watch a movie I can't STAND (I'm sorry, _Mars Attacks!_ is a stupid movie any way you slice it) and as a result, Sage was now stranded at the apartment building with the Child of Destiny. Besides, the heater had blown and that was my excuse for staying behind. Sara and Emily were having an 80's cartoon movie marathon that they had invited Sue Lee to see ("This is the stuff that the Senshi and I grew up with when we were your age," Sara had said). As a result, Sue Lee was going to be spending the night there.

I was alone. All alone. . . alas, poor me.

I tried to decide what to do first. Watch a movie? Nah. Without Keisha I'd found myself with a larger amount of free time and I'd seen every movie in the house twice. Listen to music? Nope. Not in the mood for that. What I wanted was to have a good conversation, but I was stuck by myself in a very secluded house, and I didn't know if the phone lines were going to die on me. Cabin fever, here I come!

I stood up, wondering what was in the fridge when I heard a pounding on the door. Looking out the window, I saw that, indeed, it was still snowing, and at that, pretty badly- the snowstorm had finally hit and was going full blast. Who in their right mind was outside in this weather? _Relax, Kento, if it's a robber or a psycho or something, you can take them. You can take a Dark Warlord, you can DEFINITELY take some punk serial killer._

I opened the door, wondering what I'd find on the other side. Even though I knew I could TAKE a psycho, that didn't mean I WANTED to. My eyes widened as I saw someone covered head to toe in snow, shivering as they held their arms around themselves as they tried to warm themselves. There was so much snow on them I couldn't see who it was right away. "Good grief, what happened to you?" The person lifted their head, their eyes visible through the snow. I knew those eyes and panicked.

"Keisha?" I asked. The figure nodded. _By the Ancient One, what on Earth happened to you, babe? _I stared at her in astonishment for several seconds before shaking my head to get a grip. "Keisha? What are you doing out in this weather! There's a blizzard out there? Why are you out of the house at a time like this?"

"Can I come in?" she asked quietly, shivering slightly.

"You'd better get in here," I said, ushering her inside. I took her snow-covered jacket and saw that the orange sweater she wore was just as soaked as the jacket, just like the rest of her. I could've sworn she had icicles in her hair she was so wet and cold. "What were you thinking? Keisha, there's a full blown snowstorm out there! What if you caught a cold or hypothermia or pneumonia or something?" Thinking quickly, I gave her a hug and a kiss. "Don't scare me like that."

"It wasn't my fault," she said. She shivered, her teeth chattering. "I'm cold."

"Then warm up in here," I said, bringing her further into the living room. I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her over. "What happened? How did you get here? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see you and all but. . . Keisha, you're a mess. You shouldn't have gone out in this weather- just look at you! You came in here looking like Frosty!"

She looked at me, still shivering. "I'm scared. . ."

I gave her another hug, trying to warm her up. Slowly, she rested her head onto my shoulder, seeming to calm down a little. "It's all right," I said. I hushed her, rocking us gently back and fourth. "Calm down. You're safe now. Just relax and let's get you dried off."

"All right," she said.

"I'll go get some towels and a clean change of clothing for you, all right? Then I'll heat up some water for hot chocolate," I said. I grabbed a dry throw blanket that has been neatly folded across the top of the couch and placed it by her. "Get out of those clothes and wrap this around yourself, okay? I promise you'll be a lot warmer." I put a hand gently to her chin and lifted her face, planting a kiss on her lips. She smiled weakly, still shivering a little. "Are you going to be all right?"

"I'll be okay," she said. I nodded, giving her another kiss as I bolted upstairs to get what I told her I'd get for her. Luckily for Keisha, the Senshi usually kept spare changes of clothing over at Mike's house in case of emergencies. And that was pretty much an emergency.

I returned a minute later to see my partner in arms sitting on the couch with the blanket wrapped around her. The wet clothes were piled by the door, looking like they'd just come out of the washing machine. I handed her a towel and she started to dry her hair off. It wasn't doing much, but at least she was getting a LITTLE drier. "So tell me what happened already," I said. "Why were you out in that snowstorm?"

"Well, Grams sent me out to get some food at the corner store near our house. She's been going psycho ever since my parents were killed and hasn't let us out of the house for so much as a breath of fresh air. Well, for some reason she let me off tonight and sent me to the store like I said. Anyways, on my way to the store all these people dressed in black started to attack me."

My eyes widened in panic. "You were attacked?"

"Yeah!" she said. "They were all screaming 'Get the girl! Don't let her get away!'" She frowned, looking up at me with worry. "Kento, I was frightened for a little while back there. I lost them in the woods, but then the storm picked up to what it is now before I could get back onto the main roads. I eventually saw this house and decided to come here for shelter. Kento, I, I don't know what's going on, but I'm scared."

I gave her another hug. "I won't let them get you," I said.

"I know," she said. She giggled, looking up at me almost playfully. "I know that you wouldn't let that happen, Kento. You'd think I'd learn a little about you after this long- you're protective of those you hold dear and I've always felt safe with you because of that. And besides, what better place to go for safety than into the arms of a big, strong Ronin Warrior?"

I laughed, rustling her hair. "Well, they won't get you here. You're safe, and that's all that matters. If they make their way here, they're going to have ME to deal with, and you've seen how I dealt with Trulpa's soldiers before. They'll retreat with their imaginary tails between their legs as they all start crying for their mommies after I get done with them."

"I know," she said. She sighed heavily, cuddling up to me a little bit closer. I took her hands, trying to warm them between my own. She looked down at them, smiling for the gesture. I gave her a squeeze before I heard her speak up. "Kento, how do you feel about, well, us?"

I knew what she meant. Our races. Nothing would change the fact that I was Chinese and she was African. There would always be people who would look down on us because of that. People like her grandmother. People like the strangers who had given us dirty looks when we went out somewhere because we weren't coinciding with their beliefs, which we naturally didn't give a damn about. But how did I feel about it? Deep down, what did that mean to me? _Well THAT'S an easy question!_

I hugged her tightly. "I don't care. I still love you, and I always will." I kissed her forehead.

"Me, too," she said.

"It feels so good to hear you say that," I said. I looked into her eyes as she looked into mine. We kissed, letting ourselves go with the kiss. All of the emotions we'd built up that past two weeks were released. We expressed emotions impossible to describe with words with that kiss. It was one of those kisses that goes right up there with airport kisses, wedding kisses, and war hero kisses. The ones that make you want to get to your lover as fast as you can to try and mimic the magic. The ones that remind you just how wonderful a feeling love it.

It was one of those. For too long, we hadn't seen each other. Our love had been persecuted because of our skin colors, but that night, that kiss, we didn't care. The only thing in the world I wanted was Keisha. The only thing in the world she wanted was me. And that feeling felt GOOD. We were in love, we were young, and we knew that there was no way anyone was going to stop us from being together.

"I don't want this to end," Keisha said once the kiss ended.

"I don't, either," I said. I smiled. "I haven't felt this good in a long time."

"Same here," she said. We kissed again, putting more and more into it as it went on. She tasted so good. . . never had she tasted that good. Her lips were sweet like honey and soft like rose petals. It all made me even happier to see her again. To feel her again. To be with her again.

My mind started to play me some suggestive scenes of the two of us together. My body wanted to express my adoration and affection for her in a way we hadn't even discussed yet. I could feel my temperate rise and my palms begin to sweat. My heart was pounding in my ears. Not by any control of my own I felt more ferocity and emotion being poured in the kiss.

_No! No, we can't do that!_

_Yes you can! Who's here to stop you?_

_But that's not responsible or moral or right!_

_So?_

_Anubis and Ria and Mike and Evan and Keisha's grandmother would skin us alive!_

_Is it any of their business what you two do behind closed doors? No._

I tried to shake the thoughts away, still arguing with myself over what part of me wanted to do but another part of me did NOT want to do. _No, I can't do that to her- I don't want to ruin our relationship if something happens. No! I have to have self control!_ _I'm not going to let myself go! _I thought. _I'm better than that!_

_ Ah, but has ever such an opportunity presented itself to the two of you before? Mike and Cara are at the convention with Anubis, Sue Lee is at Sara and Emily's house, and Sage is stranded at Cye's apartment. It's just you and Keisha. You love her. She loves you. Come on! What's stopping you?_

Keisha looked up at me. A deep passion flickered behind her eyes that I had never seen before. "Kento. . ." The way she said my name, I knew what she wanted. It was exactly what I wanted. What we both wanted. Maybe we wouldn't blow our whole relationship if we- but what if- I was so confused I wasn't sure what to think. Was this what we wanted?

I pulled her closer to me. The way she leaned back into me was when I truly knew it for sure. There wasn't any doubting it now. She wanted this. I wanted this. "Are you sure you want. . . this?" I asked, running a hand softly down her cheek. She purred from the movement, making my heart race.

"I've never wanted anything this badly," she said, looking up at me. I nodded, understanding as I slipped an arm under her knees and lifted her up into my arms. My girlfriend laughed, kissing my nose. She wrapped her arms around my neck and smiled at me in a way she'd never smiled at me before. Yes. She wanted this. Badly.

"I love you," I whispered softly.

"I love you, too."

That settled it. Screw her grandmother. Screw our races. Hell, just screw everyone and everything- they didn't matter. Not at that moment. All that mattered to me at that moment was her. Her and me. Me and her. Us together. I kissed her, never pulling away as I started to move towards the stairs and she started to tug at my T-shirt.

I carried her upstairs to my room, where the two of us made love.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Eleven: Musings

(Rona)

The night of our final day in school before Christmas break was a bit bleak for all of us. Even though Sara was having a movie marathon with her sister and Sue Lee, I could see the normally perky Senshi of Water looked a bit depressed. Ria, who would have normally said some sort of a wisecrack about temporary freedom or the likes was oddly quiet. Sam just looked sad and lost. Sage, who was normally very happy and bubbly, seemed a bit under the weather as well. Cye was the only one who was smiling- he kept reassuring the rest of us that it was only a matter of time before Keisha's grandma (or, as Ria had started calling her, "The Only Bitch In The World Whose Bitchiness Tops Trulpa") let them go.

Kento, of course, was in the worst condition out of all of us. But you knew that.

Sara eventually invited the rest of us girls to her sleep over. Sue Lee was estatic to see us, and frowned when she saw Keisha wasn't with us. Naturally, the boys couldn't come because Mrs. Lewis would freak (though that would be interesting to see). Even so, it was a rather melancholy evening. One of us wasn't there.

Keisha and Sara were the first Senshi I found after I learned off my armor, you know. Sometimes I almost feel like the three of us have some sort of an unspoken bond. There was a short time when it was just the three of us, trying to find the last two who were involved in this great bit thing none of us understood.

Before all that, I hadn't seen very much in Keisha. She'd been a sort of outcast if she wasn't on the track field. She just had a sort of mystical air about her, especially when she started to talk like she knew EXACTLY what was on your mind. It gave a lot of kids the creeps, and she was something of a loner.

I can't say I knew her very well, because I didn't. I was borderline between being one of the popular kids and one of the average kids. Keisha was more closely associated with the Gothics, freaks, and nerds, despite the fact she really didn't hang out with any of them. Sometimes we worked on projects together when partners were assigned, but we didn't talk about much outside of the project, whatever it might have been.

We actually started to know each other thanks to Sara. When we introduced ourselves to her, we learned a little about each other. We also learned about Sara, but that was enough for us to see that maybe this other person was someone who would be cool to hang out with.

The five of us bonded once we met up with Ria and Sam. It was so strange, really. Under any other circumstances, I didn't think the five of us could ever be friends. We were all just so different from each other in some many ways. I was part of the so-called popular crowd. Keisha was a freak. Ria had a big mouth. Sam was always in and out of trouble. And Sara was a sweet and sour kid in a new place. Yet, in a way, it seemed to all work in some sort of an unspoken harmony.

After our first battle with the Dynasty, Keisha and I had an unspoken bond of sorts. We had both been possessed by Nether Spirits and turned against our friends. To be used like puppets. That was something the others could never understand. The mental anguish was something that we talked about infrequently, sometimes crying on each other's shoulders over it.

So strange.

Two girls who wouldn't have even said a thing to each other a year before were searching for solace in each other. Two girls who, seemingly, had little if nothing in common, were quite good friends. Two girls who came from very different backgrounds were facing down the exact same horror.

Now that her parents had been killed and her grandmother had separated her from the rest of us, we could all feel a void of her absence. The feeling of something missing from our group just made everything feel so, wrong. Well, no, just incomplete. Even so, it was a depressing point.

"That storm is pretty nasty, isn't it?" said Ria, looking out the window. It was around eleven o'clock and the storm was still going strong. Sue Lee had already gone to bed, leaving just the four of us Senshi and Emily awake. Trevor was up in his room doing something and Mr. Lewis had gone to bed. However, Mrs. Lewis was still up and about doing things.

"Yeah, the weatherman was right- THIS SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!" Sam exclaimed, whimpering. "I had THREE tests today! I would've had a few extra weeks to study for them!" The blonde half-breed pouted, sinking down into her chair.

"You wouldn't have studied with your extra two weeks and you know it, Sam," I said.

Sam laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

At that moment, Mrs. Lewis walked in with a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, six mugs, and a pitcher of milk. She looked out the window and clicked her tongue. "I don't like that weather out there for one minute," she said. "There's going to be several inches of snow, maybe even a whole foot!" She bit her bottom lip and turned to Sara. "I'm worried about the boys, myself."

Ria crossed her legs as she took a thoughtful position. "Yeah, especially Cye. He's alone in that apartment tonight with Anubis gone," she said. She shrugged. "I'm not too worried about Kento and Sage because at the very least the two of them are together, but it's the Child I'm worried about."

"Aw, Cye can take care of himself," said Sam.

"Yes, that may be true, but what if he looses power? That poor boy will be alone and in the dark," said Mrs. Lewis. She pouted, then smiled. "I have an idea! Sara, why don't you go check on him with your teleportation powers and if things look bad or he's just a little lonesome, bring him back here! He can sleep on the couch or in Trevor's room!"

Sara shrugged. "All right, Ma," she said. With a resounding POP, she was gone.

"How long 'til she gets back?" asked Mrs. Lewis, staring at the spot with worry.

"Not long- she's there already," said Ria.

"Oh, so she'll be back soon, then?" said Mrs. Lewis.

I nodded. "Yup."

POP!

We all stared at the spot in curiosity. Yes, Sara was back and yes, Cye was with her. But why was Sage with them? The last Flitteree looked at us, waved, and winked. "Hi girls!" he said. "What's new?" He then sat down and gave Mrs. Lewis a bright smile. "And hello to you, Mrs. Lewis."

"Sage, what are you doing here?" asked Sam, giving him a suspicious look.

Cye shrugged. "Sage came over before the storm hit and got stranded. Then we lost power."

"And Kento?"

"Didn't want to come- we were watching _Mars Attacks! _and we all know his feelings on that movie," said Sage. "But don't worry about him- I talk to him over the phone about two hours or so ago- he's fine and gave me all this sarcastic talk about how he can take care of himself, and blah, blah, blah, followed by blah."

Mrs. Lewis' eyes widened. "So now HE'S all by himself?"

"Well, yes," said Sage.

The mother of the Senshi of Water glared at her daughter. "You go check on that poor boy, too, now, you hear me? That house is a bit more out of the way than the others and if he's alone he's in even more trouble than Cye would have been in." She turned to the boys. "Let me get a few more cups- you boys are welcome to as many cookies as you'd like."

Sara shook her head. "I could just drop Cye and Sage off there instead so the three of them can keep an eye on each other. They did just that when they were in the Dynasty, so one snowstorm should be a breeze for those two." She turned to the two males with us, looking for their approval.

"Yeah, that makes sense, I guess so," said Sage, scratching the back of his head. He waved brightly at us. "Bon voyage, my friends! To infinity, AND BEYOND!" He struck a pose, one hand straight in front of him as he walked towards Sara, who was giving him a rather strange look (just like the rest of us).

"That's nice, now be quiet! My husband is sleeping!" said Mrs. Lewis.

Sage blushed. "A thousand pardons, madam," he said.

"Let's go," said Sara, Taking their hands, they popped out of the room.

One minute later. . .

POP!

Sara returned, as did Cye and Sage. Sage was giving Sara a piggy back ride rather involuntarily as she held her hand over his mouth, his eyes widened in some sort of panic. Cye was encouraging Sage to shut up and calm down. "Sage! No! You CAN'T! You just CAN'T! It isn't right! Don't do it!"

"Sara!" said Mrs. Lewis. "What are you doing to that poor boy?"

"Preventing a personal crisis!" said Sara. "SAGE! STOP! CEASE!"

Sage, however, had other ideas, and began to flail around wildly to try and throw Sara off. But that's just the thing about people like Sara- they don't let go easily. So, despite Sage's very valiant efforts, Sara wouldn't budge. In fact, his situation only seemed to worsen- her whole arm was over his mouth, the other arm around his neck.

"SARA!"

"I can't, Mom!" she said.

"She really can't!" said Cye.

Mrs. Lewis tapped an impatient foot, sending her daughter The Look™. Seeing The Look™, Sara dropped to the ground, and Sage started to gasp for air, looking at the two Torrents with a Death Glare. "Thank you, Mrs. Lewis. You know, I WASN'T going to say anything- I was just going to scream in terror, that's all!"

"Scream in terror about what?" asked Ria, standing up. "Cye. . . Sage. . . Sara. . ."

"Our lips are sealed!" said Sara, doing that whole "zip lip" thing complete with throwing away of the key action. She shook her head vigorously and hid behind Cye, poking her head out from behind her Chosen with a slightly frightened look on her face. Cye looked down at her in confusion.

"Is Kento hurt?" asked Mrs. Lewis.

"No, not at all! It REALLY isn't that big a deal!" said Sage.

"Then why did you almost scream?" I asked. "What's going on, you three?"

"Nothing!"

Sam stood up. "If you three don't tell us what happened, I'll go to Mike's house and ask Kento myself. I'm an Amazon- with a little subarmor and my instincts I can get there very easily, snowstorm or no snowstorm. Now, what's it going to be? Are you going to tell us what happened or am I going to have to find out myself?"

"No! Don't do that! You'll humiliate them!" said Sara. Then, she slapped her hand over her mouth. The rest of us looked at her intently. Sage and Cye shot her more Death Glares than you can shake a Golden Walking Stick at. Sara's eyes widened in terror. "Oh no!"

"So it's a 'them'- who's 'them'?" asked Ria.

"Not gonna tell!"

"Did Mike come home early?" asked Emily, speaking up for the first time that evening.

"Er, no," said Sage.

"Then who is it?" I asked. I looked at Sam, who nodded at me. The two of us stood up, and, if one swift mood, had Sage on the ground. My knee on Sage's stomach, I looked at him in the eye. "Sage, you know what we have plans to do to you. Are you going to sing, or are you going to suffer?"

"You guys REALLY don't want to know," said Cye.

"Yes, we do!" said Sam. "What the hell is going on over there?"

"I'd like to know myself," said Mrs. Lewis.

Sage sighed. "All right. I give up." He took in a deep breath. "'Them' is Kento and, well, Keisha," he said. He whimpered, wincing as he closed his eyes. "Okay, there, I said it, now will you PLEASE let me up off the ground? I promise I'll be a good boy from now on, just let me go!"

"Keisha? Keisha's over there?" said Ria. "Well, what's so bad about that?"

"Yeah! This is great news!" said Sam, smiling brightly as her eyes lit up like two Las Vegas eye sores. She grinned widely from ear to ear. "Now, did she run away from her grandmother or did the old bitch lighten up and get with the rest of the twentieth century, huh?"

"I have no idea," said Sage.

I scratched my head in confusion as my brain started to work. "There must be more to it than that if those three aren't talking," I said. "The idea of Keisha being away from her grandmother is a pleasant one, so why are they. . . Sage, Cye, Sara, are they doing what I THINK they're doing?"

"That depends on what you THINK they're doing," said Sara.

Slowly, one by one, everyone began to figure it out. Ria seemed to tweak a bit as one eye suddenly got much bigger than the other. Sam took on a clueless expression. Emily started to giggle insanely. Mrs. Lewis placed her hand over her heart and started to rant and rave.

We all KNEW what they were doing in that house.

"Oh. My. God."

"They're. . . WHAT?"

"But they aren't married yet!"

"It isn't right!"

"They're still in high school!"

"What if she gets pregnant? THEN what!"

"_Do a little dance. . . make a little love. . . get down tonight- uh huh uh huh- get_-"

All eyes turned to Ria, who was dancing on the coffee table. She blinked at us. "What?"


	13. Chapter Twelve

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Twelve: A Dark Presence

(Evan)

Keisha didn't return after a full hour, and the snow was starting to get worse. I looked out the window, beginning to worry. Grams, too, was looking out the window, waiting for my sister to come home. Where was she? Was she all right? These questions plagued my mind as I tried to figure out what had happened to my poor little sister. Yeah, she's a Ronin Senshi, but I still worry about her.

"Do you want me to go out and look for her?" I asked, turning to our grandmother with worry. "Keisha has been gone a long time. It doesn't take an hour to get to the store and back. Do you think something happened to her? I mean, look at the snow out there- I'm starting to worry."

"No, she'll be back soon," said Grams very calmly. She seemed WAY too calm for someone whose granddaughter was out in the middle of a snowstorm. Grams turned to me, a smile on her thin lips. "Why don't you go up to your room for a little while and play some music or read a magazine?"

"What?" I asked. I stood up, a little shocked at her response. And angry. "Keisha's not back yet and you're sending me to my room? How can I go to my room when my sister is out in THAT?" I pointed to the window, where the full force blizzard had begun to pick up. Psycho Grams had suddenly reemerged.

Grams shook her head at me. "You need to calm down. Just take a minute to cool off, that's all," she said. I eyed her suspiciously. "Go. She'll be fine." I threw my hands up in the air, giving up. Might as well go up to my room. What could I have done anyways? Nothing. A big, fat, nothing. If something was able to take down a Ronin Senshi, what the hell could I have done about it?

I closed the door of my room, knowing something was wrong. This wasn't right. Why had Grams insisted Keisha go out, anyways? Why not me? And why couldn't I go with her? Grams used to LIVE by herself- why hadn't she wanted to be alone? I didn't like how Grams was acting. She was acting as if Keisha not coming back was okay. Senshi or not, it was snowing like crazy out there and if she was caught in the middle of it she could get sick or worse.

Taking matters into my own hands, I decided that something was definitely wrong and that I had to do something about it. Maybe I didn't have any mystical powers, but I did have a brain and quick reflexes- that was enough to do at least some snooping, wasn't it? That should be enough to get me through to something useful.

I quietly slipped out of my room and heard voices downstairs. One was Grams, the other was a man. Wondering who in their right mind would come for a visit during a blizzard, I eavesdropped on them. _If this isn't weird than I don't know WHAT weird is,_ I thought to myself.

"So she got away?" asked Grams.

"Yes. The others couldn't catch her. Why didn't you tell us she a fighter?" asked the man. I raised a curious eyebrow. Just who was "she"? Could it have been Keisha they were talking about? Keisha could certainly fight if she wanted to or had to. And, for that matter, who were the "others"? I bit my bottom lip. This whole conversation was getting weirder and weirder.

"I didn't actually think that she was interested in martial arts," said Grams, sounding somewhat thoughtful on the subject. "I know she loves track and field but this is unusual all right. But you say she didn't just run? She fought back as well? I didn't think that Keisha knew any sort of combat skills!"

_Okay, so they're DEFINITELY talking about Keisha now. Great._

"Well you should've done more research!" the man scolded. I heard someone jump, figuring it was my grandmother. "Now we're behind schedule. If something happens to her tonight I'll have your head! We need that girl unharmed and untouched!" Man, this guy sounded really ticked off.

"Relax, nothing will happen to her," said Grams. "If she was able to get away from the others than she can definitely survive a little snow storm on her own. However, I must say I'm very impressed with her to escape from our clan. Certainly better trained than her parents were."

_Better trained than my parents? Clan? What's THAT supposed to mean?_

The man scoffed, and I could almost tell he was rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Yes, that was a pathetic kill, now wasn't it? You'd think that we would've had a harder time, but your daughter and her husband hardly fought back against our forces. It was like taking candy from a baby," said the man.

_No. It, it just CAN'T be!_ My eyes widened in horror as I clamped my hand over my mouth, trying to keep myself from screaming. _No, Evan, you did NOT just hear that! You didn't! Not Grams! Not your own grandmother! No, no, no! This must be some kind of a nightmare!_ But as the tears began to roll down my cheeks, I could deny the truth no longer.

My own grandmother had helped kill my parents.

_I have to call the police!_ I thought. No, the phone was dead. Besides, what would I have told them? The whole conversation was crazy! Grandmothers just don't go and kill their own child and their child's spouse. The cops would NEVER believe me. If anything they'd drag me off to see the men in the white jackets. The only people who WOULD believe me were Keisha's friends, but I couldn't contact them either. I was alone.

I took in a slow, deep breath. _I can't panic. I have to think. What can I do to possibly figure out what's going on? Where can I find something about Grams that would give me some sort of a clue as to stop her from going after my baby sister? Think, Evan, think! _Then, I slapped my forehead as it dawned on me. _Of course! Grams' room!_

I slowly began to make my way to her bedroom. I slowly opened the door, making sure it didn't creak. I slipped inside and slowly closed it. I closed my eyes and leaned up against the door, breathing hard. I hoped the answer to my problem was in that room. If it was, I could save Keisha's life and avenge my parents. If not, then the nice men in the white jackets could haul me away. Taking in a deep breath, I opened my eyes.

And nearly screamed.

Some things looked all right. You know, normal. The bed was made, the closet (which was left open) contained her normal clothing. Her suitcases were piled in a corner. She had her shoes beside her bed. Her purse was sitting on a chair. It looked just like any other time she might've come for a visit.

Everything else was different.

First off, the walls were no longer the periwinkle blue they had been. The were now a deep, scarlet red so brilliant it was like it had been painted with human blood. When I brushed my finger up against the wall, I found that the walls were oddly wet, and when I smelled the wet finger, I smell blood. I cringed and quickly wiped it off on my jeans. I looked at the spot to see that there was periwinkle underneath the red, but soon, the red replaced it. _Bleeding,_ I thought absently. _The walls of the house are bleeding!_

Not satisfied with the bleeding walls for some strange reason, I decided to look around just a little bit more. On the dresser sat several odd looking trinkets, including the ring box that held the ring she'd made Keisha try on. There were also several long, silver daggers, vials filled with odd liquids, and pendants all decorated with skulls, crows, and/or the upside-down pentagram that usually means "bad witchcraft". Hung off of the mirror on the dresser was a long black piece of cloth that, from what I could tell, was some sort of a cloak.

I shook. Somehow, I didn't believe that Grams was still celebrating Halloween.

I dropped to my knees, hugging myself as I tried to keep myself as far away from the walls as I could. This wasn't happening. Grandmothers don't just go and join dark cults. They don't become dark witches. Grandmothers bake cookies, knit wool socks, and spoil grandchildren with ice cream and cakes.

But things were beginning to slowly fall into place. Her sudden change in fashion sense- one of the other clan members must have turned her on to jeans and T-shirts. Not letting us out of the house- she wanted to keep the two of us under her control until the time was right. Chasing Kento away- she didn't want him or any of our other friends to interfere with her plans. Her cool attitude towards our parent's murders- SHE'D BEEN IN ON IT!

I heard something strange and looked up to see the mirror was beginning to distort its image, a black smog replacing the room. Looking around, I didn't see anything like it. _That smoke is coming FROM the mirror! _I stayed away from it, watching as some sort of a demon made itself known. A scream died in the back of my throat as I watched it shriek at me, making a TON of noise in the process. I paled, staring at the image in disbelief.

I heard the thundering of footsteps come up the stairs. I looked at the door in fear as it bust open, Grams standing in the doorway. She looked WAY beyond pissed off at me and I knew it. She stormed in and grabbed the shoulder of my shirt. "What did I tell you about not going into my room! And didn't I tell you to go to yours?"

"Grams, what the hell is going on?" I demanded, wrenching myself from her grasp. I brushed my shoulder off and shot her the coldest, meanest glare I could send her. "I heard you and that guy talking! You killed mom and dad! And you want to kill Keisha next! I heard everything! I won't let you get away with taking away my baby sister!"

"Your grandson is very inquisitive."

Grams and I looked to the doorway to see that a man in a large, billowing black robe was standing in it. In one hand he carried a tall, wooden walking stick that was warped and twisted, the top seeming ready to burst like a giant pimple. The man dropped his hood to reveal a middle aged man with slightly graying black hair looking at me. Lifeless green eyes stared back at me, a cold smile on the man's lips. "I'm impressed with him."

"You're not going to kill me, too," I said. "I can fight back, too, just like Keisha."

"Oh, we have no intention of killing you," said Grams, shaking her head at me. She gently reached for what I assumed to be her robe, gently fingering it with her old, slightly wrinkled hands. "We just need to make sure you don't squeal to the wrong person before we're done with our next ceremony, that's all."

"What makes you think I won't squeal?" I said, clenching my fists at my sides. "You killed my parents! Of course someone's going to find out about this sooner or later! You're a murderer! A killer! A cold-heartened beast! I'm ashamed to be related to you, you hideous bitch!"

The man lunged at me, but I slipped out of the way and he crashed into the wall. Without giving it a second thought, I ran downstairs. Grams ran after me, screaming at me to stop. Like I was going to listen to her? She was a murderer. Like I was going to listen to murderer! Give me a break! I'm smarter than that!

I ran outside, not even bothering to grab my jacket. I had to get to someone and FAST. Who was the closest? The Lewis house. I could get to Sara and the Gruff! Wouldn't they be surprised to see a six foot tall wolf bounce after them, barking wildly and breathing fire accompanied by a five-foot tall water sorceress?

Before I could turn, however, I was pounced apon. I tried to scream, but the ones who had grabbed me dragged me back inside the house with a firm hand over my mouth. I kicked and flailed, but to no avail. There were too many of them. I was tied to a chair, and then they backed off. I looked up at Grams and the man, a few cuts and bruises stating on both me and my attacks a sign that I had clearly not gone down without a fight.

"What do you want with Keisha?" I asked as they pulled me into a chair, tying my down so I couldn't get away again. "What's going on? Grams, why are you involved with these people? They killed my parents! Your daughter! And now they want Keisha, too? What are you doing?"

Grams went silent. She just stared at me through cold eyes, then went upstairs. I watched her go, then turned back to the other people in the cult. They'd all lowered their hoods, all looking more like normal people. Perhaps a few of them were teachers, business people, and parents. None of their families probably knew about this, unless they had killed their own as well.

"What do we do with the boy?" asked one woman with curly red hair.

"We leave him. We wait for the girl to return, then leave him. The Elder has already made sure that no one will come to this house. She chased off some boyfriend the girl had," said the man with the graying hair and the big wooden staff. "I assure you all, this time, the Death Lord will be satisfied."

"Death Lord?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's that?"  
The staff man, who I assumed to be the leader, turned to me with an almost kindly glance. "The one we serve. The one who shall bring us glory when he is satisfied," said the man calmly. "The Dark Wing shall not fail our master. And you, boy, will not get in our way."

"You're all sick," I said, struggling against my bonds. Still no use. I grunted in frustration. "You're playing with evil. What makes you think he's going to let you live once he gets what he wants? He could very easily just destroy you all once he has what he wants!"

"He honors those who accepts his hospitality," said the man. He began to tap his staff, like he was thinking, clucking his tongue idly as he shook his head. "He will not forsake us. We have worked very hard for our Master and he appreciates everything we have done, now more than ever."

Grams came downstairs. "I do not think we shall be finding my granddaughter tonight, High Priest Simon. But if she was able to escape us, then I am sure she will be able to survive this snowstorm." Grams turned to me, a slightly cold grin on her face. "Keisha will come back tomorrow morning. She'll want to see her dear brother, after all."

I gulped. This was NOT by any means a GOOD situation. I bit my bottom lip. "Great, my grandmother has gone psycho on us and now I'm bait to catch Keisha come tomorrow morning. This is just my lucky day, isn't it?" I said dryly. But there was nothing I could do but wait and hope. . .


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Thirteen: A Beautiful Morning

(Keisha)

I yawned sleepily, waking up. The sun was shining in right on me, making anymore sleep next to impossible. I smiled, resting my head back on the pillow. The sun felt nice. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sunshine. I stretched, my muscles tight after being dormant during my hours of sleep. I started to get up out of bed, only to be greeted by cold. I dove back under the sheets, cuddling up to the warmest thing I could find.

Kento.

Unlike me, Kento hadn't woken up yet. He was still asleep, looking peaceful as he quietly slept. He shifted slightly, mumbled something, and wrapped an arm around me. I chuckled lightly as I was pulled closer, nuzzling his shoulder. The sudden sense of belonging I'd felt the previous night was incredible. This was where I belonged. This was where I wanted to stay.

The previous night had started out horrible, what with the attack and the blizzard, but ended wonderfully. I was back with Kento. And we were even closer than we'd been before- we'd made love. And he hadn't treated me like some sort of a material object. Nuh uh. Not my Kento. He'd treated me very well, making sure that I knew just how much he valued me and our time together.

It was probably one of the happiest nights in my life. For the first time since my parents died, I laughed. I giggled. I smiled. I was happy again. The initial shock and sadness was fading. I was still going to slaughter whoever had taken their lives, but I was getting ready to go on with my life. My parents wouldn't like it if I spent the rest of my life mourning over them. They'd brought my brother and me into the world so we could live. That was the least Evan and I could do for them. Live. Just like the Ancient One had told me- I had to live.

I had been a little scared- it was my first time and I was understandably nervous. It had been beaten into my head ever since I had begun to learn about such things that my virginity was a precious gift and that I should think carefully before I decided who my first lover would be. Was it someone I loved? Someone who wouldn't leave me after the fact? Someone who I would seriously consider spending the rest of my life with? Those were all things I had been told to consider.

I loved Kento (and I knew he was absolutely crazy about me in return).

I knew he wouldn't leave me.

I could seriously see myself spending the rest of my life with him.

I noticed Kento was starting to get up, his body shifting slightly. His eyes slowly opened, a smile crossing his face as he saw me. "G'morning," he mumbled, kissing me. I sighed contentedly, looking into his eyes as I gently placed a hand on the side of his cheek. His grin grew wider as he kissed my forehead.

"Good morning," I said. "Sleep well?"

"All right," he said, yawning and stretching afterwards. His eyes still looked very sleepy and his hair was an absolute mess. I almost laughed, but realized I probably didn't look much better. He laid back down, looking at me lovingly as he took my hand into his. "And you?"

I nodded, stretching as much as I could. "That was the best sleep I've had in a long time."

"Really?" he said, raising one eyebrow seductively. "How so?"

I grinned, giggling. "Because I had a nice, big teddy bear to snuggle up to and keep me company," I said, raising my hand to his face. He gently purred as I lightly scratched his cheek. I sighed happily, just enjoying his company. He looked so content, so happy, and so utterly blissful that it was rubbing off on me.

I looked outside the sliding door, seeing that the snowstorm had stopped some hours ago. A blanket of white lay on the ground and sat in clumps in the trees. Without a doubt the children of the city were taking advantage the snowstorm and were already out and about making snowmen, forts, and snowballs. A perfect winter day.

Kento nuzzled my neck, holding me tightly. "I can't believe I'm waking up next to you." I looked into his eyes, letting them tell him I felt the same way and I didn't blame him. After my grandmother had forced us to separate, it had been like dying and going to heaven to be with him again.

I started to look for something I could grab that would count as a source of warmth on the floor, keeping the blankets wrapped around me as much as I could without taking them all from Kento. I found a shirt that he'd discarded the night before and slipped it on. I stood up, still a little cold. I shivered slightly, wrapping my arms around myself as I sat back down.

"Cold?" he asked. I nodded. He stood up, walking over to his closet. Kento stopped to yawn and stretch, shaking his head afterwards. I watched as he began to dig through his somewhat messy closet, eventually producing a warm looking bathrobe. He tossed it over to me, a kind smile on his face. "There you go, babe."

"How can you walk around NAKED in this ice box?" I asked.

"You get used to it after a while," he said. He shivered slightly, hugging himself as he did. Kento shrugged, looking somewhat thoughtful. "Hmm. I guess I see what you mean by 'ice box' now. It's a little cooler than usual. I guess I didn't fix the heater as well as I thought I had."

I laughed. Sometimes he said the funniest things without even knowing it. Kento looked at me, a look of confusion plastered onto his face. Slipping the bathrobe on, I walked up to him, kissed him, and flicked his nose. He crossed his eyes, trying to get a look at the said facial feature. "Got a brush I can borrow?"

"Sure," he said. "There should be one around here somewhere." Kento started to dig around on his dresser, scratching his head. I found a brush he had overlooked, grabbed it, and rapped him lightly over the head with it. He looked at it, laughed lightly, and started to put an outfit together.

"I'm going to go get dressed," I said, kissing him. I stepped out of the room and headed to the room that held our emergency outfits. I dug through the bags, trying to find mine. I finally found it, dressed, and looked at myself in the mirror as I brushed out my hair. I smiled, making sure I looked neat and clean.

I found Kento wasn't in his room when I returned. As I tried to figure out where he went, I heard noises downstairs. Curious, I went down the stairs and found that he was dressed, making waffles (well, the frozen kind you stick in the toaster) and searching the cabinets. "You like syrup with your waffles, right?" he asked.

"Who doesn't?" I asked. He squatted down, grabbing what must've been the syrup from a cabinet below the counter. Kento stood up triumphantly, twirled the syrup around in his hand, and placed it on the counter proudly. I giggled and eyed the toaster. "Mmm. . . waffles. . ."

"Second question. Hungry?" he asked.

"Starving," I said, patting my stomach. "That's so sweet of you to make breakfast."

"Might as well," he said. "It's morning, you eat breakfast in the morning, and we're both here. Why not?" More waffles came out of the toaster. He placed them on a plate with some already done waffles. We sat down to eat in the kitchen, eating and talking. Kento told me about what was going on with the other Senshi, what had happened in school, and everything else I'd missed while I was cooped up at home. I nodded, my boyfriend doing most of the talking, though I did propose the rather obvious idea of keeping the previous night a secret, which he fully agreed with.

Once the last waffle was gone, we talked for a little more, trying to savor every moment we had with each other. Like it or not, I had to go- Grams and Evan were probably worried about me at that point. After all, we weren't sure when the next time we were going to see each other was going to be. Might as well make that moment count.

Realizing that we were really stretching it for time, Kento walked me to the door. "It was great seeing you," he said. He rested his hands on my shoulders, leaning forward into me so our noses touched. "I don't want to see you go." He kissed my nose and pulled away frowning. "I didn't realize how much I loved you until I lost you. And I don't want to loose you again."

"I don't want to go, either, because I know exactly how you feel," I said. I smiled and sighed happily. "But at least Grams is starting to get some sort of a reality check. Maybe I can talk her into letting us see each other again, and don't you dare think I'm letting a catch like you go so easily."

Kento chuckled. "Are you sure you don't want a ride home?"  
"I'm sure," I said. "She'd flip if she saw you driving me home. Then she'd get ideas and maybe even figure out what we did last night. Then I think she and the others would skin us alive. But what they don't know can't hurt us, right?" He nodded and I stepped out into the cold. I walked backwards for a little while, still smiling and waving. Then, before I got the urge to run back to the house and never leave, I turned on my heels and started to run through the snow out of the yard.

As I headed down towards the main streets, I smiled. Things were beginning to turn around for the better after nearly a month of hell. I was going to be able to start seeing my friends again. I was back with Kento, and the two of us, I felt, were even closer than ever.

Now I had only one problem. Yes, Grams would be happy I was safe, but how would I explain where I was the previous night? I was in a different change of clothing, I was dry, and I'd been fed. I could try and say I was at one of the other Senshi's houses, but how could I convince them to convince my grandmother I'd spent the night at whichever house it was without explaining where I HAD been to whichever friend lived there? They all knew how Kento and I felt about each other, and they'd insist we'd done what we did. Kento might've gotten upset if he knew I was telling the girls about our late night escapades when we'd agreed to keep it a secret.

I also couldn't tell Grams I had been at Kento's house, either. She isn't a stupid old lady- she'd put two and two together, then throw a hissy fit. Seeing my grandmother throwing a hissy fit is NEVER a pretty picture- she gets down right UGLY whenever she throws one of those monsters. It's one thing if you snitch a cookie or whatever- what I had done, though?

I walked on, still trying to conjure up a story. My mind kept drawing a blank, refusing to lend me an idea, and I was coming up apon my house quickly. I gulped. If she figured out where I'd been and what I'd done. . . I'd be dead meat. Hell, I'd be worse than that. She didn't approve of my relationship with Kento in the first place! If she knew we'd gotten intimate she'd kill me.

_She'll be too happy to see you're alive to ask questions, _I thought. Satisfied with that answer, I walked up the front path. I noticed the windows were eerily dark. Maybe if Grams and Evan were asleep I could just sneak into my room and pretend I'd come home in the middle of the night. That would work.

I opened the door to see the downstairs, was, indeed, dark. _So then they probably are still asleep. But Grams doesn't sleep in that often,_ I thought. _Well, maybe she was up late worrying about me. _I frowned- I would never intentionally want to worry her, but I didn't have much control over the situation with the creepy guys in black. I sighed. What was done was done. I stepped in and closed the door behind me.

"GET HER!"

"Hey!" I screamed, kicking out at my assailants. From all the black cloth I saw, I realized I was in the hands of the people who had attacked me during the snowstorm. I cried out in realization, calling out for my grandmother and brother. Were they all right? Had these crazy people gone after them, too? "What's going on! Grams! Evan!"

I heard a deep chuckle from somewhere in the room. "Your brother can't help you now, little girl- he's a bit tied up right now," said a deep voice. I looked up to see a man in a dark hood was walking up to me, a big wooden staff in his hand. The man looked me over, nodding in some sort of approval. "Yes, the Death Lord will thoroughly enjoy your company, my dear."

"Death Lord?" I said. Those words didn't sound so good. "Let me go!"

"We must leave quickly before she gets away again," he said. "Elder, you know what to do."

I didn't want the Elder to react. I reached out for my lover in desperation- I needed his help before those crazy people did something that I wasn't sure I wanted to think about. Nah, scratch that, I was SURE I didn't want to think about it. _Kento! Help me! _I mentally cried out.

_KEISHA! _Kento heard me. Good.

_Kento, it's- _I felt a sharp stroke of pain zip through my head. I nearly screamed, feeling dark magic in the air. I continued to try and struggle, but my attackers held fast. I couldn't get away. The dark magic was preventing me from getting through to my partner in arms.

That was when I heard the Elder's response to the man in the dark cloak. "Yes, my High Priest," said the Elder. My blood froze, recognizing that voice immediately. I looked up to the source of the voice and gasped in shock, my eyes widening in fear. _No, it. . . it can't be!_

"Grams, NO!"


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Fourteen: A Bad Feeling

(Kento)

Watching Keisha leave the house was heart wrenching for me, but I knew she had to leave. If Sage or even Sue Lee came home and saw her, we were pretty much busted and in HUGE trouble with several people that we really didn't WANT to be in trouble with. Which is EXACTLY why we were going to make sure no one found out.

I cared very deeply about Keisha and the previous night, it seemed like the only way we were going to be able to express all those emotions was by going "all the way". We'd both been nervous, understandably, but all that mattered to us was exactly to things: me and her, her and me.

Truth be told, I hated watching her go. I hadn't seen her for a number of weeks, and she'd been in horrible condition then. Keisha looked pretty bad when she came in from the blizzard, but as the night went on, she was laughing, smiling, and giggling again. The Keisha Narrlobi I'd fallen in love with was back. It was music to my ears hearing her happy again. It was. . . I don't think there's a word in my vocabulary I can use to describe it. To know I was bringing on that happiness made me feel even better about the whole thing.

Everybody always says that doing "it" is supposed to make you a man. I'm not sure if that's true or not. In a way, I felt like I was leaving some of my childhood behind, I guess, so I can kind of see their point. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was something I'd already done. Fighting the Dynasty was a huge change in my life. Dais and the other Warlords had called us "children" in the beginning of the fight. By the end of the second war, they were referring to us as "little men". Was that true? Had we really grown up that much in the weeks it took to take Talpa down?

Once Keisha had gone down the path and was out of my sight, I closed the door and reflected on my emotions. I was happy one moment, then felt terribly lonesome the next. I didn't like that sudden absent feeling. The house was too quiet, too empty, now. I sighed heavily, leaning up against the doorway with my hand on my forehead. I blew up at my bangs went into the kitchen to clean up.

While washing the dishes, I began to feel an impending sense of doom. I stopped short, lowering my hands, the dish I was working on, and the sponge into the soapy water as I let my eyes wander, trying to think of what I was feeling. The feeling passed and I continued to wash. Sometimes that happened, which I guess comes from being a seer. You get little "false alarms" that mean absolutely nothing. Maybe I'm going crazy, I don't know, but I just let it slide whenever it happens and only react if it's really strong or I can see visions to go along with it.

Once I was finished drying and putting them into the dish drain, however, the feeling returned. And at that, it returned with a vengeance. My psychic senses began to go ballistic. I stopped in the middle of the kitchen, almost doubling over. I felt nauseous and very not-right.

_Kento! Help me!_

_KEISHA!_

_Kento, it's-_

I mentally screamed. Keisha was in trouble! I grabbed my jacket bolted out the door.

* * *

The last time I had been that scared and frightened was the day that Keisha's parents were murdered. The same thoughts buzzed through my head, only they were accelerated this time. Keisha. . . she was more than just my girlfriend, now. I couldn't stand to think any harm came to her. If something happened to her, someone would pay with their life. 

I arrived at the house to see the door was slightly ajar. I bit my lip. That couldn't be a good sign- it was too cold outside to have the door open. I raced up the walkway and bolted in through the front door. "Keisha! Evan!" I screamed, looking around the house. Then, I paused as I realized the condition of the house. "By the Ancient. . ."

The Narrlobi household was in shambles. Tables were knocked over, drapes ripped to shreds, and vases were smashed, just to name a few of the disorders in the house. A family portrait of Keisha, Evan, and her parents lay lifeless on the ground, the glass protecting it spider-webbed. I looked at the picture in shock and horror. "What happened here?"

"Kento!"

I heard Evan's voice from the general direction of the den. I ran through and jumped over the debris and mess to get to the room, where I found Evan lying on the floor, his hands and ankles tied. "Evan! What happened?" I demanded as I began to untie him.

Evan was in hysterics as she began to explain the situation to me. "It's Grams. It's Grams. She isn't just psycho- she's flipping psychotic!" he said, sounding exasperated (though, considering his house was a mess and he was tied up he had every right to BE exasperated). "She went and joined some cult in all these black robes and dark magic and stuff."

"Your grandmother is in a cult?" I asked.

"She's the clan's Elder or something," said Evan, looking worried and confused. "I heard her and the clan's leader, I guess, talking about my parents." He closed his eyes, a few tears dripping down. "The clan. . . they killed them. And now they've got Keisha and I think they want to do the same thing to her!"

I froze, staring at Evan. My eyes were wide with shock and horror, a sickening feeling churning in my stomach. _His parents. . . the Narrlobi's. . . it CAN'T be. . . _"You can't be serious," I said, staring at him in disbelief. "They couldn't. . . she wouldn't. . . her own. . ."

"Do I LOOK like I'm kidding to you?" he said, tears freely flowing now. "God, Kento, I don't know why she thinks this is good. They have bad magic- you should see her room! It's covered all over in dark symbols and bleeding walls and trinkets and stuff, and there's some demon living in her mirror, they used something to teleport the lot of them away-"

"Calm down, Evan. Just calm down- you won't do anyone any good if you don't calm down," I said, holding my hands up. Evan nodded, sniffling as he leaned up against the wall, still shaking nervously. "We're going to get her back. Just tell me where the thing was and I'll go after her."

"Alone?" he said. "You've got to be kidding me!"

I nodded grimly. "Well. . . I don't have time to wait around for one of the others to get here. It's my responsibility as her partner in arms and her boyfriend. I have to go alone, and once I free Keisha, she can help me fight off these cult people and then we can come back home," I said.

"You aren't going alone," said Evan, starting to stand up straight. "I'm going with you."

"YOU'VE got to be kidding ME!" I said, looking at him in shock. "You don't know anything about magic, martial arts, or self defense. You'll just slow me down! I don't want to sound like I'm insulting you, Evan, but you're more use to me if you don't tag along- this is dangerous."

"No!" he said, shaking his head in defiance. "This is my little sister that's been kidnapped! I've already lost my parents! I've practically lost my grandmother, now, too! I'm not going to sit around while the last family I have is in danger! I'm SICK of staying home while she's off fighting the Dynasty. I'm SICK of hearing her tell me about all this dangerous stuff she's done that could've killed her!"

"She's a Ronin Senshi!" I argued back. "All of the Ronins were chosen to be either Warriors or Senshi because of either birthright or because we're all strongly connected to our elements and virtues! She knows that this means her life gets put in danger quite frequently! Just deal with it!"

"No, I can't deal with it, Kento. Even if you head off alone, I'll follow you. You can't stop me from going with you," he said. Looking into his eyes and seeing the determination in them, I knew he was right. Nothing I could say would get him to stay home. EVEN if it meant dying, he would still want to go.

I sighed heavily. "You have no idea what you're going into," I said.

"Then why should I be afraid of something I don't know anything about?" he said.

I closed my eyes. "Before we go, I want to take a look at your grandmother's room- maybe we can get some sort of a clue as to what we're heading up against. You did say there's weird stuff in there, right?" Evan nodded. "So, can you show me where it is?"

"Sure," he said. The two of us went upstairs, the second story of the house untouched. "The Dark Wing- that's what they call themselves- they didn't go up here. Grams and the High Priest came up here after I snuck into her room once I heard about what they did, but. . . not much happened up here." He stopped us infront of a door. I placed my hand on the doorknob, ready to open it.

As soon as I touched the doorknob, my head began to fill with dark images. Screaming people and evil demons danced through my thoughts, a dark energy pouring into my soul. I let go, frightened of the door knob. I backed myself against the wall. "I don't know if I've EVER felt THAT much dark energy in such a small space before! The concentration of it is unbelievable!"

"Then you believe me?"  
"You try to tell me I come into this house looking like a tornado ripped through it and I DON'T believe something happened here? Even wild parties don't leave a house in THIS much of a mess!" I said. I looked towards the stairs. "This is creeping me out. I don't want to leave Keisha with those creeps longer than she has to be left with them. Let's work on getting out of here right now."

"Don't need to tell me twice," said Evan. The two of us went back downstairs, where Evan led me to a glowing purple crystal. It was a translucent sphere about five inches in diameter. Unlike the rest of the magic I'd felt, this was a more neutral magic- it was neither good nor evil. "That's what they used to teleport out of here. Think you can work it?"

"Probably," I said. "Teleportation is actually a really easy skill to master if you have the right magic." I scrunched up my nose. "Unless of course you have the power naturally- then it's wild and harder to tame, as Sara taught us last fall. But it's a rare gift so in general terms its child's play."

"Is it?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," I said. "Most of the rooms inside of Trulpa's castle, including the ones Sage, Cye and I stayed in, didn't have doors. You either learn to teleport or you don't get anywhere." I placed my hand above the crystal and murmured a short spell I knew that could analyze how some magic items worked. I closed my eyes, feeling the energy feeding off of it. I smiled.

"Well?"

I looked at him and nodded. "You touch it and it brings you to a pre-designated spot. Hopefully that spot will bring us to or at least near where the Dark Wing people took Keisha," I said. I put my hand back above it, preparing myself to go. "You still want to come?"

Evan placed his hand above a different point on the crystal. "Yes," he said.

"On the count of three," I said. "One."

"Two."

"THREE!"

KA-ZAP!

* * *

KA-ZAP!

The crystal brought us to the middle of a forest, where we saw no one aside from the two of us. "Were they here, or did they move the spot?" asked Evan, scratching his head. "I don't see any sign of Keisha or those cult people anywhere around here! It's nothing but trees and more trees all around!"

I bit my bottom lip, trying to analyze the situation. "I don't know," I said. "They probably moved to another location, because I can feel some essence of the magic I felt back at your house." I took out my armor orbe, fingering it. "I THINK I can use my armor orbe to locate where Keisha's armor orbe is, and hopefully, Keisha as well."

"Okay, then do that," said Evan. I nodded, slowly levitating the armor orbe between my hands. My girlfriend's older brother stared at it in awe. An orange beam shot out to the left, where I sensed a mixture of Keisha's powers and the darker powers from earlier. "Is she that way?"

"I think so," I said, putting my armor orbe back. "I'm guessing ten or so miles away."

"Ten miles?" said Evan. "If we're walking, that'll take a few hours!"

I bit my lip. With my armor, I could easily get there in a matter of minutes, but Evan had no such powers. I wracked my brain, thinking of all the powers I had. I could make earthquakes and manipulate metals and rocks, I could use super strength, I could see into the future, and I could shape-shift.

"I got it!" I said. "Evan, do you know how to ride a horse?"

My companion shrugged. "Well. . . yeah, I guess so," he said. "Why?"

I closed my eyes and started to shape-shift. Evan swore, amazed at what he was seeing. I finished the transformation, now a yellowish-horse with black hair. I neighed in response, flicking my new tail at him. I used my head to gesture for him to get on. Once Evan had straddled my back and grabbed some of my mane, I took off.

_Keisha. . . please be all right. . ._


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Fifteen: The Sacrifice

(Keisha)

After the clan people had me tied down long enough to transport me somewhere else and stuff me into the back of a van, I began to see just how deep a trouble I was in. They had used MAGIC to teleport us to some woods. I wasn't sure what my grandmother had gotten into, but I didn't think it was a good thing at that point.

Two of the hood people sat it front while the rest of them were in the back with me, including Grams and a man carrying a wooden staff with a weird knotted thing on the top. I had long since been tied up and gagged, preventing me from trying to escape. They were all staring at me strangely, which made me even MORE scared.

The van came to a halt minutes later. The back doors of the van were opened and I was carried out. My grandmother escorted the man carrying me through the metal door of some old factory out in the middle of nowhere. _Must be some sort of an old power plant,_ I thought to myself.

I was brought through several plain gray hallways until I was brought to a room done over in black and red silks, all giving it a very harem-like look. I was dropped onto a large pillow (like the ones you can use for pet-beds, only silk and much more expensive looking) and left with my grandmother. I eyed her coolly. How could she do this?

"Today, Keisha dear, is going to be a very important day in your life," she said darkly.

I tried to talk through my gag, but it wasn't working. She bent down and removed the gag, letting me shoot off at her. "What the hell are you doing, Grams? What the hell is this place? Who are these creepy people? Why am I here?" I growled. "This isn't like you! What have you done?"

"Relax, my dear girl," she said. "You are necessary for us to revive the Death Lord."

"DEATH LORD?" I said in alarm. _That's the same guy that the guy with the big wooden staff was talking about. But who or what is their Death Lord and why do they need me to revive him? Does it have to do with my powers as a Senshi?_ I shook my head you defiance. "You want me to help you revive some guy called the DEATH LORD? Yeah, right!"

Grams didn't seem to care about my opinion on the whole deal and just looked the other way. "Oh, we don't need your consent to do this, Keisha, my dear," she said. "We simply needed to find someone who fit the qualifications of the sacrifice he wanted and you fit the bill."

My jaw dropped and a whole new string of retorts started. "You're going to SACRIFICE me? God damn it, Grams! This is insane! This is evil! You just lost my parents less than a month ago! Why are you just throwing me away?" I asked in between tears. "Grams, why?"

Her eyes shimmered. "Who do you think bumped them off, my dear?"

I froze. "You mean. . . you people. . ."

"Yes," she said. "There wasn't any way that I would have been able to keep a close eye on you if they were still involved. I knew that it wouldn't take much to kill your parents, what with them already being handicapped and all. So we planned to destroy them so I could begin to prepare you for what was to come." A cold, evil smile crawled onto her face. "It was such a simple killing. The boys enjoyed it thoroughly."

I screamed at her, disowning her as my own flesh and blood and cursing her to hell as more tears began to flow. She just laughed at me, taking joy in my anger and frustration. I could barely believe what I was seeing, praying that everything that happened from the time Kento and I woke up was just some dream. Yes, any minute I'd wake up to find him worried over me and telling me it was just a nightmare and that everything was going to be all right.

But that wake up never happened. Grams had stopped laughing, instead talking to a few women who'd come into the room. I half-recognized one voice as one of my attackers from the previous night. _So that's it- she sent me out of the house to have her clan kidnap me. But why not just take me inside the house?_ I wondered. _Evan. She wanted to split us up. But why not send Evan out and take me away while he wasn't home? Wait, never mind that. They spread themselves out around outside so it would be easier for all of them to hide and drag me off. _I watched them exchange a few words. My grandmother nodded, motioning for the women to go and get something.

Minutes passed and the woman returned with an assortment of items that included a knife, several clay pots, and something that looked like a pile of cloth and jewels. I stared at the objects, slightly frightened at the knife. Before I could react, however, several of the women held me down. "Hey! Get your hands off of me! I mean it!"

Then one of the women picked up the knife.

I screamed. I was going to die, and I was staring at my murderer!

Much to my surprise, she was using the knife to cut my clothing away. Little by little, my shirts, jeans, and underclothing were sliced off, leaving me in only the ropes that bound me. I shivered from cold, and blushed from my nudity. _For crying out loud, more people have seen me naked in the past twenty-four hours than when I was born!_

My grandmother sat in the back, watching the proceedings as they began to rub oils, gels, and pastes from the pots all over my body. Some of them burned, some of them felt cool, and others tickled. Overall, I didn't like them one bit. I knew that something bad was going on, and unless one of the tickle-substances was being rubbed on my body, I was protesting, swearing, and letting them know just how pissed off I was.

Eventually, satisfied with their work, they all backed off minus the woman with the knife, who cut my binds loose. One laid the cloth piece before me and I saw it was an outfit. The dress, which was too short for my liking, was white and embedded with thousands apon thousands of tiny jewels in hundreds of colors. It had no straps, and looked like it stopped right around the knees. I stared at the dress and I tried to cover myself, unsure of what was going on.

"Put it on, Keisha," said my grandmother.

I stared at her darkly, letting her know I hated her guts. In response she walked over to me, slapped me, and repeated the demand, this time yelling it. The woman who had ripped my clothing off bared the knife threateningly. I finally obeyed her and dressed in the new clothing. Satisfied, they all left. I heard a click as the door closed and realized that they must have locked the door.

I tested the strength of the door, trying to figure out if I had a prayer of a chance at bringing it down on my own. No such luck. I swore, trying to think of something. If I didn't get out of there, not only would I be dead, but it would be helping some guy named the Death Lord. That didn't sound good, and I didn't want my friends to have to deal with it.

I looked over at the scraps of cloth that had once been my clothes and suddenly remembered my armor orbe was somewhere in that mess. I darted over, searching through pockets for the desired object. Apon finding it, I grinned, knowing that one well placed spell or Iron Rock Crusher was my ticket out of there.

Before I could armor up, however, I heard the door open. I stuffed the armor orbe down my cleavage, watching the door as the leader of the group came in. He smiled at me darkly. I sneered, and he laughed, not seeming to care how much I did not want to be in that place with his clan and my grandmother. "Welcome, young one."

"Go to hell," I spat.

The man chuckled. "No, no, no, when the Death Lord is revived, we'll all be immortal. Death will never touch any of us," he said. He grinned and bowed in an almost formal way before me. "My name is Simon. I am the High Priest of the Dark Wing, servant of the Death Lord."

I narrowed my eyes. _This guy must be for real. But why would my grandmother join him and his crazy friends? She, should wouldn't have done that! Especially not when it involved killing my parents and me! _"What have you done to my grandmother?" I asked. "She used to be kind, loving, and gentle. Why have you brainwashed her?"

Simon scoffed, glaring at me darkly. "Silly little girl. I did nothing of the sort. It was between her and the Death Lord that she decided to join our numbers," he said. His eyes seemed to glow in a smug triumph that I didn't like. I shrunk back from him, eyeing him in suspicion. "Just like every one else."

"So he's the one that's possessed them, is he?" I said. "Is that it?"

"My, my, you jump to conclusions easily," said Simon, clucking his tongue, shaking his head, and twitching his finger. "He has offered us, his loyal servants, to serve him in his new empire once we revive him from the spirit world. Then, we shall destroy all who oppose us and rule this pathetic world with him as our master."

"You can't possibly get away with this," I said, clenching my fist and gritting my teeth. I turned my head away from him and towards the ceiling, trying my hardest to look defiant. "Even if you do kill me and go through the process of reviving your stupid 'Death Lord', someone will be able to take out this 'Death Lord' of yours."

"Nonsense, little virgin," he said.

_Virgin?_ I thought to myself. I stared at him in confusion, wondering why he'd called me that.

Simon looked at me with worry. "You are a virgin, right?"

I blinked, startled by his statement. Then, I narrowed my eyebrows at him. "What business of yours is it if I am or if I'm not?" I snapped, crossing my arms and tapping my foot. "What I do behind closed doors is my business and the business of my partner, NOT yours, you pathetic looser."

Simon gulped, then pointed his staff at me. I gasped as a white energy emitted from it, wrapping around me. I lifted my hand, watching as my hand was surrounded by a white hue. My eyes widened as the hue slowly began to darken to a thick, dismal gray in color. I narrowed my eyebrows, unsure of what was going on. I looked up at him in confusion, silently demanding to know what was going on.

The leader of the Dark Wing looked at me in astonishment and worry, his hand shaking. Then, he composed himself and stared at me coolly. "So, you AREN'T a virgin," said Simon, sounding strangely calm. "Your grandmother promised us a virgin. Why aren't you a virgin?"

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. THAT was why Grams had chased Kento off when he went to see if Evan and I were all right- she needed to keep me a virgin until the sacrifice could occur. It had nothing to do with race- even if I was seeing someone black she would have chased him off, only with a different excuse. Had I not escaped from the Dark Wing the previous night, there wouldn't have been anything anyone could have done to rescue me. But now that I'd spent the night with Kento and, although unintentionally, fouled up their plans, I'd probably bought myself some time.

The door opened and SHE came in. "Simon. . . what's taking you so long?"

"She isn't a virgin," said Simon.

"WHAT?" she said, looking rather upset and alarmed at the prospect (which, I figured, would have been how she'd react even without the clan- I'd done a MAJOR no-no). "But, but I've been using the indicator ring to test for her virginity ever since we killed her parents! It hasn't failed yet!"

"That's what that ring was?" I said.

"You stay out of this!" she snapped, giving me a dirty look. She sneered. "I bet I know what happened. She's got this big buffoon of a boyfriend, some Chinese kid, that she must've seen and screwed with last night because your slipshod planning let her GET AWAY, YOU IMBECILE!"

Simon scoffed, turning on my grandmother. "It isn't MY fault she got away! You should have learned whether or not the little bitch knew how to fight! Because YOU didn't do YOUR homework, we have a worthless, used piece of trash that does us no good! Now look what YOU'VE done!"

"YOU'RE the one who wanted to capture her outside!"

"She's YOUR granddaughter!"

"I have no control over what she does when she isn't home!"

"Didn't you or her mother teach her not to spread her legs!"

"That was a cheap shot!"

"Bitch!"

Seeing as they were rather preoccupied with their very interesting and attention consuming conversation, I decided that was the time to attempt an escape. I slowly made my way to the door, keeping my fingers crossed that I could somehow get out of there and to a phone so I could call Kento or Sara or someone who could come pick me up and get me away from those evil creeps!

_Kento! That's it! _I thought. All I had to do was contact him mentally. Then he'd get help from Sara to teleport me back home. I closed my eyes, concentrating on my boyfriend. Much to my dismay, there was too much dark energy for me to get through to him.

And by the time I opened my eyes again, I realized that Simon and my grandmother had seen my near escape. "Oh, don't think that just because you let that little boyfriend of yours have his way with you that you're off the hook," she said. "Guess what? If the Death Lord can't have you as a virgin, then he'll have you AND the one who took your virginity."

My eyes widened in fear. Oh no. Now the Dark Wing was going after Kento!


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Sixteen: It Begins

(Kento)

Less than an hour later, we found ourselves outside of a stone gray building, which we guessed was probably some sort of an old factory. Evan dismounted me and I shifted back into my normal shape, shaking my head from the slight lightheadedness I had received. I looked up, quickly evaluating the building. I closed my eyes and held my hand out, trying to get a feel for the energy in the area. I nodded my head. "I think she's in here," I said. "I can sense a lot of dark energy, and fragments of her power."

"You sure?" asked Evan.

"Positive." I pressed my hand against the building for a clearer picture. It only seemed to get progressively worse with physical contact, much like the doorknob in the Narrlobi household. I shuddered, not wanting to think about Keisha in that building by herself with those people. "We have to find an entrance to this place, and fast."

"Fast?" asked Evan. "How fast?"

"There's some serious crap going on here," I said, taking my hand off of the wall. "There isn't any telling what these losers are doing to Keisha, but whatever it is, it's real." I used my armor orbe and transformed into subarmor. "Lay low. Get your hand on any weapon you can get that you think you can handle safely, because trust me on this- this is going to get ugly."

My girlfriend's older brother looked nervous, but nodded with a slight gulp. I grinned, somehow admiring his bravery. He was really determined to save his sister, but this wasn't something he had to do or was destined to do- it was my responsibility as a fellow Ronin to go in after her, especially where she was my partner in arms and now even more than that. Evan had nothing of that, yet he still wanted to go in anyways. I gave him a nod of respect, which he returned with a smile and a returning nod. Evan was braver than I thought he was.

"We can go around the back," I said.

"The back? Why the back?" asked Evan.

"Less likely for them to notice," I said. "Ever heard of sneaking in through a back door? Well that's exactly what we'll be doing." Evan nodded and quietly followed. The two of us crept to the back of the facility. Sure enough, there was an old looking door barely hanging onto its hinges. I went up to the door and pulled it off the hinges. It came off quietly enough. I placed it down in the snow (it WAS winter after all), then signaled for Evan to follow me. He nodded, the two of us sneaking into the building.

"This is frightening. Exciting, but still frightening," whispered Evan. He looked behind his shoulder, gulping yet again. I shot him a look, raising a finger to my lips as a very direct signal for him to "shut his trap before we get caught". He got the message, but asked me a rather important question first:

"Is it normal to have a sudden urge to pee your pants in a situation like this one?"

"Welcome to my world."

We were in a back room of some sort, an ancient coffee pot and several chairs somehow confirming this. Dust lined the room, as if no one had been there in a long time. I looked around, raising a hand. I extended my powers. I felt a sickeningly stronger sense of the energy surrounding the place. It was getting darker, too, and I didn't like that idea one bit. "It's only getting stronger."

"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" asked Evan.

"Depends on the situation- if I can get a feel for what kind of energy it is than I might be able to know its weaknesses. I can feel a ton of energy, but there's so much magic here I can't separate one thing from the next," I said. I sighed. "This isn't easy. Man, where did your grandma find these guys?"

"I don't know. How can you sense all this magic?"

I tapped my temple. "All Ronins can sense different magic types- we all have a sixth sense, so to speak to know when there's something evil afoot. That's how the five Ronin Warriors got together- we all sensed the negative energy coming from Toyama and just followed it," I said. "Now that I actually have an idea as to what I'm doing, I'm actually finding it quite useful."

"You're trying to tell me that you could sense magic and you ignored it?"

"Er. . . pretty much," I said with a weak attempt at a laugh. "I was a bonehead when I was fifteen, what can I say? But now that I see this isn't all about brute strength and bashing in bad guys, I'm actually beginning to understand how to really use my armor and its abilities to my advantage. The Hardrock armors are the most sensitive to the world around us and I didn't start using that until it was almost too late."

Keisha's older brother looked at me in a new light, his eyes seeming somehow somber with what I'd just told him. Slowly, he nodded. "Just relax and let it come to you. You're a seer, right?" said Evan, putting a hand on my subarmored shoulder. "You'll figure it out."

"Thanks," I said. "I just hope I figure it out before it's too late to save your sister."

"Do we split up or do I stick with you?"

I thought that one over. The idea of Evan wandering around alone wasn't exactly comforting (he could, oh, I don't know, get killed or something), but if we were both caught at the same time, that could be dangerous, too. If we split up, there'd be a back-up if something went wrong for one of us. "Okay. We'll split up. Take off five minutes after I leave."

The slightly older teen pointed at his watch. "On the dot," he said.

I sighed heavily, rolling my eyes. I walked out the door. "Stay out of trouble. Don't instigate a fight, but defend yourself if someone tries to attack you. Don't let yourself be seen so you can avoid my first piece of advice. If you find Keisha, cut her loose from whatever is holding her if it's just ropes or something- don't mess with something magical because I can almost guarantee you'll get hurt. Don't do anything stupid," I instructed.

"Yes, sir," said Evan. "Good luck." With that, he ducked under a table and sent me a thumbs up. I sent one back and opened the door that led into the main part of the building. Taking in a deep breath, I stepped out of the door and closed it behind me. I nearly jumped as it creaked from lack of oil. I paused, listening for some sort of a sound.

What I found was a long, drab corridor. Once again it seemed as if no one had been down those parts for a very long time, so I figured that I was safe. I started to walk down, looking both ways the whole time, behind me every so often. I my eyes scanned over every nook and cranny I could spot, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary.

I wasn't that great with rescue missions. During the second war against Talpa, when I'd tried to follow Dais to rescue Cye and Sage, I'd fallen into a trap and couldn't save them. Oh, I was able to get away for a while- I led the Tin Cans in a game of cat and mouse (guess who was the mouse?) for a good two or three hours before they finally cornered me. From there, I got to join Sage and Cye in what would lead to the event that would shatter our lives.

There are days when I wonder what would've happened if I'd tried to escape from Dais to warn Ryo and Rowen. Would I be back in Japan with them thinking that Sage and Cye were dead? Would it have not mattered if Dais was able to catch me anyways? It's those kinds of things I think about. I have a power that can possibly change the future, and I did it a few times when I was working for Madame Shinshu. I saw into the future, told someone what would happen, and then they wouldn't do something or they'd make sure they'd do it.

I don't like my power. As fun as it sounds to be able to see into the future, it's actually really creepy. There are times when I'll just tell someone to watch a glass and less than five seconds later, crash! Milk or juice all over the carpet. It annoys me. Yeah, knowing what's coming is great during battle, but in everyday life. . . ugh. I especially hate prophecies when I go into a trance and don't remember anything. I black out. It isn't fun. Keisha says that it scares her. It scares me, too.

Speaking of Keisha, I had to find her and bust her out of that hell hole before something really BAD happened. From what Evan had told me, what I'd sensed at their house, and what I was feeling in that building, I knew that SOMETHING big was going on and that I wasn't going to like it.

Some of the energies I was familiar with- teleportation type energies, magic herbs and spices that Cye and Sage had worked with before, and even a few hexes that I had seen Trulpa use on servants she wasn't pleased with. Then there were energies I hadn't felt before, probably part of whatever dark plan these people had for my girlfriend.

And then there was that one last energy. . .

I came to the end of the hallway and opened the door at the end, sensing more energy on the other side. I pressed my ear against the door, not hearing anything. I slowly opened the door and slipped through. This hallway was less dusty and much cleaner. People had been here more recently. I had to be careful, now.

I placed a hand against a wall, trying to figure out which direction Keisha was in. If possible, we were going to bust out of there and then go get the others to blow the place sky high or something. But first, I had to save my girlfriend. I sensed she was close by, but there were other life forces nearby as well.

"INTRUDER!"

Uh oh. Someone had found me. I saw a man around Mike's age pointing a finger at me, wear a dark robe with a hood. He shook with fear, his teeth chattering as he looked me over. I looked around innocently, trying to act "normal". "Hi, how's it going?" I asked calmly. "Nice weather we're having, isn't it?"

"You. . . you. . . get away!" he said, still shaking. "You will be destroyed!"

I laughed sheepishly as I scratched the back of my head. "You know, as fun as that sounds, I think not," I said. I straightened myself, getting back down to business. "I came here to rescue my girlfriend, so if you could tell me where Keisha is, then I won't kill you. Deal? Just a simple set of directions for your life- seems like a no duh choice to me, don't you think?"

"YAH!"

As the cry was sounded, I was suddenly enveloped with a shock wave of energy. I shook all over as the energy electrocuted me, my subarmor seeming to do nothing to stop the pain. The energy ceased and I fell to the ground. I braced myself, my arms clutched over my chest as my heart began to race out of control.

I looked up to see two more robed figures. One of them was a man I didn't recognize with dark but graying hair and sharp green eyes. He held a tall wooden staff that was twisted and distorted, kind of like driftwood. Standing beside him was Keisha's grandmother, who looked REALLY pissed off.

"You little son of a bitch! You ruined our plans!" she screeched, pointing a finger at me.

"I haven't ruined any plans yet, but if you don't let Keisha go then I WILL ruin some plans all right!" I said. I tried to move, and immediately regretted it. My whole body was in immense pain, as if I had broken every bone in my body AND gotten a really, really, really bad sunburn with a few muscle pulls added in. "Just let me get up and I'll go about ruining those evil plans of yours."

"I feel that this young one is very dangerous, High Priest, Elder- just take a look at what he wears! That certainly is not normal attire for a young man his age, or for that matter, anybody!" said the man who had originally spotted me. "But we can use him. I think that the Death Lord will allow us to give him the girl and the one who soiled her."

_Soiled? What the hell does that mean?_

The Elder looked me over, grabbing my chin and turning my face from side to side. She threw me back down, and I sent a glare back up at her. "You think I CARE how you feel about all this? You'll be dead soon enough anyways," she said. She turned to the man beside her. "Yes, he'll do very nicely. Perhaps the Death Lord will be kind to us for this."

The High Priest nodded. "What do we do with him until then?"

"Restrain him and bring him out the main sanctuary- we'll have to slightly alter our plans for tonight thanks to this new development. Keisha will be ready soon, I believe, and will be brought out in due time. However, I haven't told the others about what she did last night, so there will be some surprise," said the Elder.

My eyes widened. They KNEW? I blushed bright red, getting a laugh from the two robed people. _So that's it- they needed Keisha to be a VIRGIN sacrifice and now that she isn't a virgin anymore she's almost useless to them now! _The High Priest raised his staff into the air and slammed it into the ground. As a result, I was suddenly bound by magical ropes that appeared out of no where. As my strength returned, I tested myself against them, but to no avail.

Keisha's grandmother stood guard while the High Priest left to go somewhere, probably something bad (I mean, he WAS the High Priest of some loonies out to sacrifice my girlfriend and now me, too). She knelt down beside me, a sickening, twisted smile on her face. "You're going to pay dearly for touching my granddaughter," she said.

"Why would you care?" I said, narrowing my eyes at her as I tried to give her a dirty look. "You're one sick bitch! First, you kill your daughter and her husband. THEN you want to sacrifice Keisha, your own granddaughter, in the name of some evil Death Lord. You don't give a damn about her!"

"She is necessary for the Death Lord-" started the older woman.

I began to scream and yell at her, my anger pouring out in one almost violent torrent of words. "Well your Death Lord can go himself for all I care! This is your family, and at that, you're ONLY family! What could possibly bring you so low as to destroy them!"

Before she could answer me, the High Priest came back with a large clan member. The robed man hoisted me over his shoulder and carried me out into what was apparently their main sanctuary. I was placed in a kneeling position on a black mat. Slowly, members of the clan were filing in, taking their places at red pillows that circled where I was placed. I watched as the seats were slowly filled until eventually all but a few remained. The only other object in the room was a large, throne like altar.

The High Priest stood by me, keeping his staff at my nose so I wouldn't move. I heard something in the background, like someone was struggling. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they were bringing Keisha out and they didn't want me making a move. Like I could- the ropes were bound with strong magic and I couldn't get out on my own. I needed to come up with something.

"Let me go you jackasses!"

That was undoubtedly Keisha- she would definitely say something along those lines in a situation like the one we were in at that point. The High Priest did something with his staff and Keisha joined me in the ropes. She turned to her head to see who she had been tied to, me turning to face her with a slight frown. "Kento!"

"Yeah, it's me," I said dryly. "Are you all right?"

"Aside from the fact we're about to become a sacrifice for a deranged clan my grandmother decided to join and everyone here knows what we did last night, just fine," she said. She looked at me with confusion. "Why are you acting so calm throughout this whole mess?"

"Who said I'm calm?" I said. I found her hands and squeezed them tightly and tried to give her a kiss on the cheek. Keisha whimpered, getting scared. I grasped her hands tighter and hushed her. "Don't worry about a thing, Keish, we're going to find a way out of here."

"I think it's too late," said Keisha miserably. "They're starting."

While Keisha and I had our mini reunion, the Dark Wing had made their formation, all chanting. The High Priest's Staff was glowing a dangerous alternation of black and red hues, a huge amount of energy flowing through the room. Keisha and I watched as something began to form on the altar, a smoke beginning to almost solidify into something.

The Death Lord.

The voice of the evil being echoed throughout the entire building, causing candles and glass décor to shake and rattle in the mess. The clan all took some sort of a bowing position, even the High Priest and Keisha's grandmother. To them, they were in the presence of a great being. To us, he was an evil demon spawn.

"Well, well, well, it has been a long time, hasn't it, Kento of the Hardrock? Did you miss me, or were you too busy screwing with the one who my clan members have spent many weeks preparing for me? That's too bad, because now you and your lover will have to suffer. Hmm, hmm, I'm going to enjoy this."

My eyes widened in terror. I KNEW who was speaking to me. "Oh God no. . ."

"Kento?" asked Keisha. "What. . . what is that?"

I finally recognized the energy force I'd felt amongst all the other powers in the building and even a little bit back at Keisha's house. I just KNEW what it was when I heard the voice. It was a voice I had learned to fear. A voice I had learned to hate. And a voice I thought that I would never, ever hear again.

"The Death Lord. . . it's Talpa!"


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Seventeen: Talpa's Near Return

(Keisha)

I looked at my boyfriend in shock and disbelief. _There's just no way that thing can be Talpa!_ "You're kidding me!" I said. That COULDN'T be Talpa. Either Kento was going crazy and playing a very NOT funny joke on me , or the demon was playing some sort of a sick game with us. "Didn't Trulpa kill him to drain his powers?"

Yet, even from my awkward view of him, I could clearly see that Kento's eyes were wide with terror. His face has gone oddly pale, and it wasn't the same Kento I was used to seeing. The Kento I knew and loved was a relatively cool-headed teddy bear who always had a good joke on hand and a hefty appetite to go with it. This Kento just looked scared. "I, I thought so, too. . . but. . . it sounds like him. . . and I can feel him. . ." he stuttered dumbly.

Slowly, an armored figure was partially materialized onto the throne. It wore a black and gray armor with seven huge blades on its back. A red face plate was surrounded by two long pigtails of white hair and a dome shaped helmet with two huge stag like decorations on top. I sensed a dark evil much like Trulpa's radiating off him. It must have been Talpa. Even I couldn't deny it any longer, and I'd never met him before. This was Talpa. This was Trulpa's brother.

We were both in BIG trouble.

His form still somewhat see-through and occasionally fading a little, Talpa stood up and walked over to us. The floor shook slightly as an armored foot slammed against the floor with each step taken, a clanking sound echoing off the walls. Kento held my hands, trying to comfort us both. "So, Kento of the Hardrock, you thought I was defeated?" asked the former Dynasty emperor.

Kento shook his head, snapping out of the slight trance he'd been in. Now he just looked pissed and irritable. "No! It can't be! Trulpa killed you! She sucked what was left of your powers out of you and took over your entire army! You CAN'T be alive!" he argued. "You're dead, gone, you aren't coming back! This is all some kind of a bad dream. It has to be!"

"Oh, but you aren't dreaming. However, you are correct; I'm not alive. My sister did drain what was left of my powers, though I hadn't realized she'd taken my army," Talpa said coolly. He began to pace back and forth before us, glowing eyes centered specifically on Kento. The demon did, however, occasionally throw a glance my way. Though I couldn't see it, I could sense his eyes were looking me over- evaluating me.

"You're a ghost," I said slowly, piecing everything together. Talpa turned to me in mild interest. "A spirit of some sort. Trulpa wasn't able to completely destroy you- enough of your spirit was left so you could turn to the Dark Wing to regain power little by little so you could come back and take revenge on your sister- I was supposed to be the final ritual."

"My, the little whore is smart, isn't she?" said Talpa.

"Don't you DARE call her a whore!" said Kento, beginning to struggle against our bonds. I felt him jostle me, a small cry escaping my lips. Afraid of hurting me, my partner in arms ceased the action. Talpa laughed at his fruitless efforts at escape, getting a snarl from Kento. I frowned, thinking that the former Nether Realm lord was playing him to get a reaction.

Talpa chuckled evilly to himself, his eyes glowing red. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kento of the Hardrock, did I insult your little slut?" he spat bitterly (Kento growled again). "Just a little wench to fulfill your hormonal pleasures, I see? Just a cheap little screw to satisfy your dirty needs. Perhaps even bear your children? Maybe she'll die during childbirth. That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

I could sense Kento's unrest towards his former arch enemy. I didn't try to calm him down anymore- this was becoming his battle very quickly. After all, it was this. . . thing before us that he had originally been sworn to defend the world against. "I swear, Talpa, if you think you're going to touch a hair on Keisha's head, you've got another thing coming! I'll blow your ass from here to the moon, rip out your insides, and THEN I'll kill you!" From there he started to swear in wild strings of Japanese and Chinese, mixing in a few choice words Anubis had yelled at the boys for using (plus a few phrases Ria had picked up to confuse her teachers that I knew the "colorful" translations to). I could feel his emotions pouring out in a torrent of rage, all of them directed at Talpa because he had insulted me.

_Oh, Kento. . ._

Talpa watched in some form of amusement as Kento's temper got further and further out of control. "Hmm, your mouth hasn't ceased in the past year and a half, has it? Still as sharp as I remember," he said. If his face could have moved, I swear, he would've been smiling some cruel grin. "I'm intrigued to know how you ended up in this country, but it is no matter. If you are here, then you are here. It was please me greatly to have you watch me enjoy your little bitch, eh?"

"Like hell you will!" I snapped. Now MY temper was going off. I shook the ropes, glaring at our captor with as must ferocity I could muster. "If you think one damn minute you're going to get your filthy, slimy demon hands on me then you've got another thing coming you ass hole! I'm not going anywhere or doing anything with the likes of YOU!"

"That's what you think, little girl," he said. His eyes glowed. "I don't suppose that Kento told you about this, or did he?" Slowly, Talpa raised his hand and the two of us were enveloped in an extremely excruciating pain. Kento tensed up and began screaming in agony. I felt the bond between us begin to pulsate as I, too, cried out in anguish. I wanted it to stop. The torture we were being put through was inhuman. I wasn't sure if my body could take much more of it. _Is this what that demon did to Kento, Sage, and Cye that broke the barriers? Is this what they were subjected to all that time? Is this was Trulpa did to keep them in check?_ I thought absently. It burned me to think Kento had to go through it again.

The pain stopped, leaving both of us breathless. We both leaned forward, panting and gasping for air. Talpa laughed, as did the Dark Wing. I looked up at them. I saw my grandmother amongst them, laughing at me pain. She was enjoying watching me suffer. Me, her own flesh and blood. Had she laughed like this when my parents died? The thought sickened me to the point where I wanted to throw up. My own grandmother. . .

_Don't worry, Keish, I forgot about something._

_What, Kento? How could you FORGETTING something be good?_

_ Even if I remembered it, it would still be here. After you left, I got a bad feeling and went over to your place and found Evan tied up. He filled me in on what happened and, after I told him I was going after you, he insisted on coming with me to rescue you, even after I told him how dangerous it was going to be. Evan didn't care- all he cared about was rescuing you, Keisha. So, I brought him with me._

_Evan's HERE? Kento, why is he here? He could get hurt!_

_ Yup. He's in one of the back rooms, though by now he's probably left already. And since the clan and Talpa are both busy, then they obviously don't know about him being here, _Kento thought. I felt him mentally grin. _That's good for us. If Evan is able to pull something, we MIGHT live._

I wasn't sure if the thought that Evan was at the complex made me feel any better. He was my older brother, sure, but he didn't know what he was doing. Evan had no super powers, little if ANY training with any sort of defensive art, and I wasn't sure how well he'd handle a life or death situation.

I turned my head up to see what Talpa and the clan had been doing. The clan was chanting something while Talpa had taken his seat back on the throne/altar thing. His fingers drumming on his knees as he waited for something. "They're starting," I said. I turned my head to Kento. "They're really, really, really starting this ritual- Kento, we don't have much time."

Kento's eyes wandered. "Come on. . . come on. . ." he said.

Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted into the air, and I yelped in surprise and pure horror- this was a bad thing. This must have meant that things were really beginning to roll. I looked down to see that, indeed, Kento and I were being lifted high into the air. I screamed, getting frightened. I could even hear my lover beginning to panic.

"Oh God. . . oh God. . ." he repeated over and over. He held my hands even tighter. "Keisha. . ."

"Yes?" I said.

"If we don't live through this, I love you," he said. "I always will."

I nearly cried. Even though things were looking bad, those words meant everything. "I love you, too," I said. I closed my eyes. We had stopped our ascent, the two of us hanging in the air with our legs dangling down below us. "This is it. We're going to die."

"At, at, at least, at least, at least we're, we're dying, dying to, to, to, together," he said. Kento's voice was getting shakier, as if he, too, were beginning to loose hope. We turned to look at each other, and slowly joined our lips in what we thought would be our very last kiss.

As if it were a dream, I began to feel drowsy and sick. The ritual was beginning. I tried to resist the feeling, struggling to escape it. From the movement behind me, I could see Kento was fighting it, too. Below us, the chanting intensified, and Talpa began to laugh. I felt a dark evil surrounded me, trying to suffocate me. I screamed, getting scared. I didn't want to die!

THUD!

The sensations stopped, and Kento and I found ourselves on the ground. The ropes were loosening up, my boyfriend untangling us from it. The clan was rushing over to where Simon, the High Priest, had been standing. Talpa was moving in that direction as well, screaming something in Japanese.

"What is he screaming about!" I asked.

My boyfriend looked either happy or panicked. "Evan! He must've grabbed the High Priest's Staff or something to stop the ceremony!" said Kento. "While that was, in essence, a good idea- EVAN! YOU IDIOT! GET OUT OF THERE BEFORE YOU GET YOURSELF KILLED!"

"EVAN!" I screamed. I heard him scream as the Dark Wing advanced on him. My anger focused on the clan. On Simon, their leader. On Talpa, their master and my lover's arch nemesis. And my grandmother, who had sacrificed my parents- her daughter and son-in-law- and tried to sacrifice me. And now they were all trying to take away the last family I had; Evan. He was the only family I had now. He was my brother. He'd gone with Kento to save me even after my lover had told him that it hadn't been a good idea. There was no way I'd let them get away with hurting my brother!

As my anger intensified, I felt a powerful throbbing begin to bubble up inside my head. I fell to my knees, clutching my head as the feeling intensified. I winced, crying out in pain. Kento dropped to my side, looking me over in concern as I continued to wail in anguish.

"Keisha!" said Kento. "Are you all right?"

I held my head tighter, trying to stop the pulsating pain. I screamed out a few times, unsure of what was happening. It felt like my head was ready to explode into a million pieces. I dug my fingernails into my scalp, desperate to stop it, but nothing was working- if anything it only got worse.

Kento wasn't taking it much better. He had his hands on my shoulders and was trying to snap me out of it. "Keisha, you're only hurting yourself!" said Kento. "What are you doing? Don't scare me like this!" I could tell he was worried, but I was more worried about the sudden migraine from Hell I had suddenly received.

"My head. . . it hurts. . . AH!"

Kento held my wrist. "Fight the pain. . . you can get through it. . . come on, girl, I know you can do it. . ." he encouraged. He looked at me with concerned and worried as I stared back through tear soaked ones. "I need your help. I can't possibly stand down the Dark Wing AND Talpa by myself! I need you!"

"AHH!" I threw my hands out in front of me, the air seeming to ripple as the Dark Wing was tossed in several directions away from my brother. Evan stood where they had once been, holding Simon's staff in confusion. I stared in disbelief at what had just happened, not sure WHY they'd flown all over the place. "What in the-"

"Telekinesis!" said Kento. "You can use telekinesis!"

"Tele-what?" I asked.

"The psychic power that lets you move stuff with your thoughts!" said Kento. "Try it again!"

I decided to try out Kento's idea, raising my hands into the air. I concentrated on the one of the Dark Wing clan members, one of the women who had helped with the oils and gels. I tried to lift her into the air and found the task easy. She screamed, her arms flailing around as she tried to get back to the ground. I decided she'd be happier up in the rafters and placed her there. I almost laughed as she stared at the ground, screaming.

Kento looked at me, grinning. "I like this new power of yours."

I nodded, getting to my feet and turning to my boyfriend. "Let's kick some butt and get out of here," I said. I turned my attention back to the problem at hand and made a fist, slamming it into my open palm. "These guys are going to pay DEARLY for killing my parents, and they're going to pay NOW!"


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Eighteen: The Showdown

(Kento)

Seeing that Keisha's role in the Age of Legends had to do with telekinesis, she was using the new powers, sending different members of the clan in different directions while Evan fought it out with the High Priest, the two struggling over the wooden staff. That left me and Talpa unoccupied.

I wasn't looking forward to that fight.

Talpa turned to me, marching his way over to me. He was more solid than he had been, which must have meant that he was starting to fully revive himself. Where he was getting the power I wasn't sure, but all I had to do was make sure he didn't complete the ritual. If he did. . . we were all screwed.

"So, Kento of the Hardrock, looks like's just you and me," Talpa stated.

I clenched my fist. _Relax, Kento- this isn't like it was last time. You've gotten more powerful and it doesn't look like Talpa's at full power if he's relying on these goons to do his dirty work- you can handle this. _"I MAY be alone, but I'm not helpless," I said. "Watch yourself, Talpa. I'm tougher than I look."

Talpa seemed to think this was funny and started to laugh, his eyes glowing yet again as that was pretty much the only way he could change expressions- what do you expect from a guy who's face is a mask? "Pathetic little Ronin Warrior, didn't you learn your lesson when I had you, Halo, and Torrent captured? You certainly remember the pain from it, don't you?"  
I growled, knowing very well what he was talking about. That DID result in a lot of pain, but it had done a few good things in the process. "Dynasty historians have called your capture of me, Sage, and Cye the Great Error. You have no idea what you did, do you?" I said.

"What do you speak of, Hardrock? What error did I make?" he asked skeptically.

"Only this," I said, sending a tremor Talpa's way. Talpa seemed surprise at the magic I was using. It didn't affect him (Talpa had a high defense against elemental magic), but it did startle him. "You broke the barriers. Sage, Cye, and I can use the magic the Ronin Senshi can use, and our respective Senshi can use our sure kills."

Talpa stayed oddly silent at this comment.

I continued on, taking a step forward as I tightened my fist. "It only gets better. You should've paid closer attention to what your Warlords were doing and who they were sleeping with, because guess what? The Child of Destiny has been born. Welcome to the Age of Legends," I said.

"The WHAT?" Talpa screeched, his eyes glowing red in response. "Impossible!"

"Oh, yes, it's possible," I said. I grinned. My ego getting the better of me, I decided to play a rather dangerous game of Bluff. "And only **I** know what my role in the Age of Legends is. You don't know that, Talpa. For all you know I could be the Child of Destiny, or maybe even something else you don't want to think about."

The former Dynasty emperor was getting nervous. He had no idea I was actually just a seer. My power was probably the least dangerous of all the other roles- they didn't always work when I wanted them to work and me having a prophecy left me vulnerable. Sage was the one who could fly and use the wild Flitteree magic. Cye was the one who used the deadly combo magic made from his own powers and those he'd inherited from Anubis. We still had no idea what Ryo or Rowen could do. However, what Talpa didn't know couldn't hurt me.

I clenched my fist as I stared Talpa down. He was getting nervous in the very least, though I don't know if I would have called him "scared" or "concerned". I grinned. "I may have something powerful enough to kill you, Talpa. You could be dead in five minutes," I said.

"You are bluffing!" Talpa accused.

"No, I'm not. Lord Termini knows the power of the Child of Destiny. He's been destroyed. The Jewel of Death has been transformed into a Jewel of Hope. Anubis is alive again. Both the Inferno AND the Inferna have bearers. The Armor of the Soul has been awakened. Cara left Trulpa's services has laid her obedience to the Senshi of Wildfire. You shouldn't have bothered trying to come back, Talpa. It's not going to work. There's too much going against you right now."

My old adversary growled. I grinned, knowing I was beginning to get to him, and that was a good thing. "But you stand alone, boy. No other Ronin is here. You honestly think that those strange, dark skinned humans are going to do anything to save you from my clan now? Hardly," said Talpa.

Hmm, he did have a point there. Keisha was a Senshi (which Talpa didn't seem to know about, or if he did know, he was lying about not knowing), and Evan was with us, too, but how much could we do alone? Keisha didn't have a very good idea at what she would be going against and Evan was virtually powerless. We were outnumbered, and I wasn't sure what we could do.

I closed my eyes, trying to figure out what would be most useful that I had on me. Thanks to the storage abilities of my crystal ball, I had both it and my spell book on hand. Still, I didn't see how my crystal ball or the spell book would be much use- I needed something that would give me a quick answer, and neither device did that.

Talpa's eyes began to glow red (again) as his hair began to blow. He was preparing a spell. I threw up a shield, very glad that I had learned a decent amount of defensive spells. Yes, attack spells are nice, but defensive spells are the spells that help you actually live through a battle. I struggled to hold the shield up as the attack hit. I had to find a way to hold out until someone got a signal on us. Then we could get some much needed backup.

I let the shield down to conserve my energy once the attack was finished. Talpa was laughing. _Uh oh. That can't be good. _ "You're a very good bluffer, Hardrock. A very good bluffer. I'm surprised that someone like you, a Hardrock, is a seer. Your little game will be your undoing."

How the hell did he figure that out?

"Uh oh," was about all I could say. I needed help that I wasn't going to get. What to do, what to do, what to do? I racked my brain, trying to come up with an idea. Unfortunately, Talpa kept me preoccupied with avoiding his attacks and/or shielding against them, making it extra hard to concentrate.

"Kento!" I looked up to see Keisha running over to me. "Let me help!"

"Keisha, no!" I screamed. Now getting more angry than infatuated with my girlfriend, Talpa tried to throw an attack at her. Reacting, I ran towards her, wrapped my arms around her, and dove out of the way. Keisha screamed as I landed a little roughly on her. She looked up at me, looking frightened. "Don't do that again!"

Keisha's bottom lip quivered. "But Kento, don't you see that he's going to- KENTO LOOK OUT!" she screamed. I threw up another shield, blocking his latest bombardment of attack. Keisha clung to me, getting scared. I dropped the shield, beginning to loose strength.

I sat up, trying to stand. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on Sage and Cye for help. I needed their help. I reached out through the armors, trying to get to them. I felt myself just barely touch their links when I felt someone knock me aside. Keisha screamed and I saw Talpa standing over me.

"Too bad you have to die like this, Ronin Whelp. I would've preferred killing all of you at once, though I suppose this will extend the pleasure," said Talpa, crossing his arms and mocking me. I stared back at him with defeated eyes. Was this really it? Was I going to die there? His eyes began to glow, preparing to finish me off.

BOOM!

Talpa flew away from me, Keisha's arms pointed at him from where I'd left her. Obviously, she'd used her newfound telekinesis to give Talpa some impromptu flying lesson. And she also looked pretty pissed off. "You coward!" she screamed. "If you want a decent fight, then fight me!"

"Keisha, don't!" I yelled.

My adversary stood, his eyes glowing in rage. _Keisha. . . you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. . . this freak is DANGEROUS! _"I have no fight with you, girl. Once I get rid of your lover boy, then you're mine," said Talpa. "Why would I want to ruin my own play toy?"

My eyes grew with anger. My temper was refueling my strength, letting me get up. I stared him down, breathing heavily. I wiped away some liquid dripping from the corner of my mouth. Looking at my hand, I saw blood. My subarmor had a few scrapes and dents as well, some shallow cuts on my face. I was beat up. I was exhausted. But I was NOT giving up.

That was when a miracle happened.

The air before me began to glow. Every head in the facility turned to see what it was, curious. I held my hands out as something solid fell into my hands, but it was too bright for me to see what it was. Once the glowing faded, I saw a large, chainsaw sword. Daala's sword. I smiled. Cye and Sage must have felt my despair and sent their powers to me so I could use the Armor of the Soul!

Gripping the hilt of the sword, I held it out in front of me. The energy of the sword began to recharge me, giving me a second wind. Talpa was looking at the sword, seeing that another of his plans was about to explode in his face for the second time. "Impossible!" he said. "That sword. . . I thought it had been destroyed when Wildfire he defeated Daala!"

"I think not," I said, making a few slashes in the air. As I did, I surrounded by bright lights of orange, green, blue, and yellow as I felt the Armor of the Soul piece itself onto me. Slowly, as the armor formed, I felt myself fill with Sage and Cye's powers, the doubled power from Cye nearly knocking the wind out of me. The power he welded was phenomenal! Sage's power was strange too, the wild Flitteree magic not agreeing with my human system too easily at first.

Once the armor formation was complete, I discovered that Cye and Sage's minds hadn't come along with their powers. I was worried about that briefly, wondering first off WHERE their minds were and second that I was facing Talpa alone. The last time we'd used it, the three of us had shared Sage's body, all of us working as one unit to blow Trulpa away. But where were they?

The sword glinted in my hand, almost saying that I wasn't alone.

I WAS, after all, wearing the Armor of the Soul.

"So it has been revived, big deal," said Talpa. "I'll still destroy you."

I growled, preparing my attack. "Says you!" I said. I raised the sword above my head, concentrating on the high amounts of energy flowing through my body. If I could pull off the sure-kill, then I could get Keisha and Evan out the complex before either of them got hurt.

I dropped the sword downward, aiming the blade at Talpa. Magic began to concentrate itself in my hands to point where they felt bloated, "SOUL STRIKE FORCE!" I screamed, watching as the multi-colored beam of energy shot straight towards Talpa.

Talpa screamed as the energy hit him, causing the spirit to explode. I whooped with joy, thinking it was over. Sadly, there was too MUCH energy in the Soul Strike Force and it smashed into the opposite wall and several supports. The building began to shake and everyone stopped, only Evan and the High Priest still fighting. Debris began to fall from the ceiling and a rumbling could be heard in the background. "The building's going to collapse!" someone cried.

Keisha ran to me, clutching my shoulder. I looked down at her, wondering what she wanted. "We have to get out of here!" she screamed. She turned to her brother, who was STILL fighting with the High Priest. "Evan! Come on, the building's falling down! Get out of here!" Evan sent his sister a nod, and the two of us began to make our escape.

The two of us ran and ran, holding hands as we darted through the crumbling and self-destructing facility. The Dark Wing weren't making much progress, all screaming in agony on the floor. When they had joined the Dark Wing, their lives had been tied to Talpa's powers. The loss of Talpa was draining their life forces away. Without Talpa, any powers they had were gone. Without that power, they couldn't live anymore. They were all going to die.

Keisha's grandmother, the Elder, was close to the exit, her form completely lifeless, one hand reaching towards the door. Keisha stopped to look at her grandmother, her body frozen. I could sense no life force coming from the body and realized that the woman's older body wasn't able to last as long as some of the younger clan members.

She was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, dead.

Keisha stopped, bending down to look her grandmother older. My heart sunk. She had spoken very highly of the woman before the whole mess with her parents' murder and the Dark Wing. This was her grandmother, after all, and now, one of the only people that she had left from her family. With this woman gone, all she had was Evan.

_Aw, Keish. I wish you could stay here and take all the time you wanted to mourn, but this building is about to fall down on top of us and I don't think it's going to tickle. _"Keisha, we have to go!" I said. I grabbed her hand and dragged her behind me as I headed off at full force.

I brought her out of the building, eventually collapsing as the Armor of the Soul and my subarmor faded away. I stood up with help from Keisha, the two of us turning to the building. My partner in arms looked around, obviously in search of her brother. "Where's Evan?" asked Keisha, her eyes widening in panic. "He hasn't come out yet!"

"He'll be out in a second," I said. I looked over at Keisha, evaluating her. Or, more specifically, the outfit the clan had given her. It was certainly revealing, and it definitely looked good on her, but, considering the time of year, she would've come down with something if she stayed in the cold too long without anything else protecting her. I took off the orange and red flannel shirt I was wearing, handing it to Keisha. "You'll catch a cold if you don't put something on."

Keisha smiled weakly at me. "Thank you for caring about the very least of our problems," she said, slipping it on. She buttoned up the top and began to tug and pull at the sleeves, trying to get it to fit better. Once she was happy with it, she looked back towards the building. "Evan, where are you- EVAN!"

My eyes widened in shock and horror as the building suddenly exploded. The two of us stared in a stunned silence, a giant mushroom cloud forming over where the old warehouse had once been. _No. . . _I thought to myself. _There's just no way. . . _I placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. I turned to see her bottom lip quivering, her eyes watering.

She'd just lost the last of her family. Evan was gone.

I hugged Keisha tightly as she began to sob hysterically over the loss of her brother. I felt my own tears coming on. Evan had been my friend. He was my girlfriend's older brother. He'd wanted to try and save his sister from a horrible fate. He'd died trying to save out lives. Evan didn't deserve the death he got.

"It's. . . not. . . over. . . yet. . ."

The two of us looked up to see the High Priest standing before us, his robes torn and tattered, his lip busted, and a very determined look on his face. I watched as his eyes began to glow red, alerting me that something was seriously wrong. "What the. . ." I said, wondering how he was even ALIVE.

"Ronin. . . Warrior. . ." he said. "Give. . . me. . . the armor. . ."

"Oh shit," I said.

"Kento?" asked Keisha.

"Talpa possessed the High Priest."


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Nineteen: Where We Belong

(Keisha)

I nearly screamed. Kento was too weak to try and fight off Simon/Talpa, and I wasn't sure if I had the power to try and take him on either. I wasn't sure if I could concentrate on that! I'd just watched the building my grandmother and brother were in explode- I couldn't think straight enough to do something like that! "No! You can't take him away from me! Kento!"

Simon raised his hand, causing it to glow orange. Kento fell to his knees, his arms crossed over his chest. His entire form was glowing his armor color, the Armor of the Hardrock struggling to remain with its bearer. The outline of the armor appeared in a ghostly form around my boyfriend, causing Kento to cry out. The process was hurting him. Possibly even killing him.

I reached to my armor orbe. I held my hands over small marble, concentrating on my own armor. "Hardrock of the Senshi, help the Armor of the Hardrock!" I cried out. A beam of orange light shot from my hands, lending my strength to my lover. The strength seemed to help, but Kento was still caught in the deadly game of tug-o-war. If I didn't do something fast, I was going to loose everything. Kento was all I had now. I wasn't going to loose him, too.

I closed my eyes, still concentrating on the lending of my energy. Simon/Talpa and I were fighting over Kento's armor and even Kento himself, trying to either destroy or save him. I used every ounce of strength, emotion, and magic in my entire being, forcing it through my armor orbe as I fought to keep my lover.

But Simon/Talpa was getting stronger, too, and I wasn't sure how long the two of us could hold out. I could feel my energy being depleted and I was loosing my hold on the armor- Talpa almost had it in his grasp. He was going to win. Kento was going to die, I was going to become some sex toy, and the Mortal Realm was going to get screwed. No! I couldn't let that happen!

"Hey! I don't think so!"

WHACK!

"AHH!"

I collapsed, trying to regain my own energy. I saw Kento had stopped glowing, he, too, trying to catch his breath. The two of us faced each other, wondering what had stopped Simon/Talpa. We looked over to see Simon/Talpa lying on the ground, his Staff embedded deep into his chest. His eyes were frozen open, pure white from lack of life. Blood seeped from the open chest wound, staining the snow he lay in.

The two of us watched as Simon/Talpa's body vanished, taking the evil spirit with it. I almost heard Talpa's screaming in the background somewhere, devastated that it had lost. Kento and I exchanged looks, wondering what was going on. The sound of crunching snow took my attention away from my boyfriend long enough to see who was coming over to us.

"Hey, are you two all right?"

I looked up and beamed with joy. There, pulling the High Priest's staff out of the ground, stood Evan. His clothes were covered in dust, and he had a few cuts and scrapes on his arms and face, but other than that, he was all right. "Evan!" I screamed, jumping up and throwing my arms around his neck. "Oh Evan, Evan, Evan! You're alive, you're alive, you're ALIVE!"

Kento was kneeling on the ground, a bit dazed and tired looking. Still, he had a very satisfied look on his face to see that Evan had pulled through for us. He chuckled, then coughed. "Good to see you're still with us," he said, panting. "For a second there we thought that you were killed when that building collapsed."

Evan grinned, patting the staff he held tenderly. "This staff protected us when the building exploded. That Simon guy went off by himself after the fact and left this behind. I decided to follow him, and I decided I should take it," he said. He grinned. "Trevor's gonna be so jealous that I have a staff and he doesn't. . ."

I gasped. Then, I crossed my arms and tapped my foot at my older brother. "Evan, you're not going to actually use that, are you?" I asked. "I mean. . . it's got to be teeming with dark energy that we don't know anything about! It was used by a man who worked for TALPA of all demons!"

Evan shrugged. "I might. Maybe Anubis could purify it or something so it's safe to use. I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines watching you all run off to certain doom- do you know what it's like not knowing? It's agonizing! So, I want to help out. And face it- you guys could use the help," he said.

"You were a huge help tonight," said Kento. "You saved our lives. We owe you one."

Evan threw his head back and laughed as if Kento had just told the funniest joke in the world. "You guys? Owe ME one! Gee, isn't the fact that you guys saved the world a few times good enough?" he said. He composed himself and cleared his throat. "Consider it even."

I smiled, just happy to see him alive. My brother was alive. He wasn't hurt. I still had some of my family left, and that made me feel a whole lot better with my situation. I hugged him again. "I don't care about that right now," I said. I looked at them both. "Let's just figure out how we're getting home and get there!"

The sound of clanging rings answered the question for us. We turned to the golden light a few feet away as Anubis appeared before us, decked out in the Ancient's Robes, the Rice Bowl Hat, and the Staff of the Ancient One. He raised the tip of the hat up to see us, a look of bewilderment on his eyes. "Are you three all right- THE DARK WING?"

"They're gone now," said Kento. "Evan and I took care of them."

"So I can see," said Anubis, raising an eyebrow and scratching his chin. He looked at me and frowned. I blushed, hiding behind Evan. "You do realize that I AM going to have to ask about that outfit of yours, Keisha, but for now, I think now is a good time to go back to Boston and have you three tell us exactly what happened."

* * *

Anubis brought us straight to Mike's house, where we found the other Ronins were all waiting patiently for us. As soon as we walked in through the front door, all of them swarmed us, asking about a million questions at once and giving me warm greetings due to my extended absence.

"Hey! HEY!" said Anubis. "Back off! Back OFF!" He started to swat at them with the Staff, connecting the big golden ball to Sage's head. The others back off, but all still looked antsy to know what had happened (and the last Flitteree wobbled off on a desperate search for aspirin).

After everyone got settled down, Kento, Evan and I explained what had happened over the past several weeks (though Kento and I left out the whole "virgin sacrifice" and "virgin sacrifice who wasn't a virgin" part). The others nodded along, all seeming to be waiting for something. What, we didn't know.

"And that's what happened," I said.

"And?" said Sage. "Last night?"

Kento and I both froze. Evan and Anubis gave us odd looks. "What, what do you mean, last night, Sage?" Kento said nervously, pulling at the collar of his T-shirt. "All of this pretty much happened today- the kidnapping, Talpa, me using the Armor of the Soul, Evan getting that staff, and so on. What else are you talking about?"

"Don't try to cover it up," said Ria. "Last night, Mrs. Lewis made Sara go check on Cye because he would've been alone during that big ol' storm we had. When she went, she found both Cye and Sage in the dark, so of course Sara's mom decided that we had to check on you, too, Kento." She winked. "I, for one, am impressed at your bold disregard of morals and Keisha's grandma's wishes for not seeing Kento- bet she would have been pretty pissed if she found out the two of you were in the sack-"

"WHAT?" Anubis and Evan said in perfect unison.

Suddenly, I felt very small, and from the looks of it, so did Kento.

"Talk," said Sage.

Kento and I were both cherry red and sitting as far away from each other as possible. We had HONESTLY thought we were alone and, at that, alone for the night. With that storm outside, who'd want to leave the house? That was a simple question with a simple answer. Someone who had the power to TELEPORT would want to leave their house. And now the two of us were in deep trouble.

"Er. . . in our defense the clan wanted a virgin," Kento said hopefully.

"Did you know that BEFORE you did anything?" Anubis asked.

"Um, no," my boyfriend replied.

"Aw, lay off 'em, guys!" said Evan. "Grams was ASKING for that to happen by separating them. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. So, considering how close they were by their hearts, souls, and armors, it makes sense. And for another thing, did you forget what we all, minus Anubis, are?"  
Silence.

"Can we say 'teenagers with raging hormones'? I'll be willing to bet that the two were hugging and kissing each other when they met up after Keisha got away and things got a little out of hand. It happens. It's not an excuse for what you did, but it did save my little sister's life- I'd rather see her alive without her virginity than dead with it," said Evan. He turned to me and Kento. "Just don't do it again, all right?"

"You're not upset with us?" I said.

"Nah! Of course not!" said Evan.

"I'm surprised he hasn't gotten a shotgun out or something yet," Ria mumbled.

"Would you guys lay off them already?" Evan said.

"Evan? Calm down!" I said. "Kento and I have kinda figured out what we did was stupid and we won't be doing it again for a VERY long time. But thank you for being so understanding." Evan nodded, calming down. I sighed heavily. "Unfortunately this isn't the end of our problems."

"You and Evan have no place to go now," Rona concluded. She leaned back in her chair, scratching her head. "Well, for tonight, you could probably stay here or with one of us. Then we can try and find a more permanent residence for you. It's not like it would be for a terribly long time, though- Evan will be leaving for college, hopefully, by next fall and Keisha the fall after."

"I don't see why Mike would mind letting you guys crash here," said Sage.

"That's right! Right from the beginning he said that he's opened his doors for any of us," said Sara.

"See? Things are turning around already, mates," said Sam. She gave us a wink and a thumbs up. "Things won't ever be the same again, but at least things are starting to get better for you two." She looked at me especially. "And don't you DARE think for one second you don't have a family, Keisha."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Us!" said Ria. "We're your friends, Keisha. We're your fellow Ronins- we'll stick by you."

"Us to!" said Sage.

"Especially me," said Kento, taking my hand into his. "I won't ever let this happen again."

I lowered my head and started to cry. "You. . . you're all the best friends I've ever had!" I looked up at them, wiping away some of my tears. "I. . . THANK YOU ALL!" Kento pulled me into his arms, giving me a tight hug. I relished in this feeling, and started to cry even more as I felt Evan and my other friends join in on the hug.

They were right.

We were a family.

* * *

That evening, I couldn't sleep. So much had happened over the past twenty four hours. . . it was just too much to comprehend in just a few hours of time. I was in my new room, which at the time was very, very bare because we hadn't gotten the chance to move things from my old home to Mike's yet. I was sitting on the edge of my bed with my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands, wearing nothing but a purple camisole and a short, loose pair of cotton shorts. I stood up, shaking my head.

I stepped out of my room and considered going downstairs for a drink of water. Ironically enough, I saw Kento coming out of the bathroom in an old white T-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. The both of us stopped, stared at each other, and looked away. Just twenty four hours ago we had been in a much more. . . intimate. . . setting. I stole a glance his way as he stole one my way. Kento's eyes diverted to the floor, where his sock foot was tracing circles on the carpet.

"Kento," I said.

"Keisha," he said.

"Hello."

"How are you?"

"I'm fine, you?"  
"Good."

Silence. "You can't sleep either, can you?" I said.

"Not a wink," he said. He looked at me through big, blue eyes. "It was so scary seeing Talpa again, especially after thinking he was dead for long. I didn't know what to think when I realized that." He leaned up against the back wall. "So much has changed in just the past twenty four hours alone."

"Me moving in?" I asked.

"Not just that, but you are right about THAT being a big chance. The Armor of the Soul went to me," he said. "Anubis told us that means it's a multi-bearer armor instead of a uni-bearer- it can have multiple users at the same time. And it changes with each user! When Sage wore it, it had a higher concentration of Halo and Flitteree magic- when I used it I felt more earth and spirit magic."

My eyes widened. "Imagine what would happen is Cye wore that thing."

Kento bit his bottom lip. "Child of Destiny in the Armor of the Soul- I almost feel sorry for the person who pisses Cye off when he's wearing THAT thing," said Kento. He snorted, then laughed. "Trulpa better run if she ever comes around again- because we'll beat her in so bad she won't know what hit her!"

I rolled my eyes. "Kento, sometimes I wonder about you."

My boyfriend smiled and slipped an arm around my waist. "Really? What about?"  
"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Kento growled seductively (though not so loud that someone would wake up). I giggled. "Keisha, you're the most fascinating creature I have ever laid eyes apon, and I love you because of that," he said, planting a kiss on my neck. I continued to laugh, enjoying the attention. "C'mon, let's go find some ice cream and see what's on TV."

"Okay," I said. "Chocolate chip cookie-dough?"  
"Whatever you want, babe."

"Yay!"


	21. Chapter Twenty

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Twenty: Back to Normal?

(Kento)

It was the day after the incident with the Dark Wing had happened. Now, it was nothing more than a bad memory, which is exactly how I wanted it to stay- a bad memory. I'd nearly lost my life, I'd nearly lost Keisha, and only God knows what else I could've lost.

Oh yeah. The whole universe.

It was midday, and everyone was trying to help Keisha and Evan move into Mike's house. Their rooms were slowly filling with suitcases, furniture, and other room junk. At that moment, I was hauling a box of clothing from the van Mike has rented up the stairs to Keisha's new room. I elbowed the door, sending a signal to Keisha that I wanted in.

"Coming!" she called. I could hear the padding of feet on carpet as she went to open the door. I looked in at her and smiled. She grinned back at me, her hands on her hips and a happy, yet somewhat tired look on her face. Yeah, the rest of us were lugging stuff back and fourth, but she had to figure out where everything went. "Hey, handsome."

"Hiya, babe," I said, giving her a quick kiss. "Where do you want this?"

"Just put it on the bed for now," she said. I complied, unloading my arms. I stretched them out, twisting them around and cracking my knuckles in one motion. My girlfriend rolled her eyes. I was about to leave to get more, but Keisha placed a hand on my shoulder. "Spare a lady five minutes?"

"I'd spare five hours for you," I said. The two of us sat down on her bed. "What's on your mind?"

"A lot," she said, rubbing my thigh. I looked down at her hand, then back up at her face. "This past month has been pretty hectic for me. On Thanksgiving, I had a decent relationship with you, no thoughts or worries about the Dynasty, and my parents. But now my folks and my grandmother are gone, Evan's got a staff, I'm living in a new house, and us. . . you know we've gone to a higher step."

I frowned. "Are you regretting us-"

"No, no, that's not it," she said, shaking her head vigorously with a slight smile on her face. "I don't regret anything about our night together. In fact, I cherish it." Keisha sighed heavily. "I just. . . I guess. . . things are changing really fast and I need to talk about it with someone."

"I'm all ears," I said. I snuck an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Just a month ago we were a normal couple- mystical armors aside, mind you- and I had a more normal family life. Now my parents are dead, I've slept with you, and Evan and I are going to be living under the same roof as you, Sage, Mike, Cara, and Sue Lee," she said. She traced a few circles on my shoulder. "It's not something I'm upset about, mind you- I couldn't be happier."

"Then why are you talking about it like it's bother you?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know."

I grinned. "You've just got the jitters because you've entered a whole new chapter in your life- you lost your parents, you've lost your virginity, and you're living in a different house. Those are some pretty big changes that are going to cause you to look at the world in a different way and you're nervous about that. That's all." Keisha looked up at me and I nodded reassuringly. "Now, unless there's something else worrying your pretty little head, I have to go help move stuff. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"All right," she said. "Don't hurt yourself."

"How can I hurt myself? I'm strong as an ox!" I said, flexing for her.

* * *

"Kento, sometimes you're a complete idiot, do you know that? I TOLD you that even YOU needed help with that last box, but did you listen to me? No, of course not," said Sage, who was ranting and raving over me pulling my back out while trying to lift a particularly big and heavy box. I was lying stomach-down on my bed while Sage ran his hands over my lower back. "You're lucky I have MAGICAL healing powers, or else you'd have a bad back at seventeen."

"I thought I could handle it," I said.

"Kento, I've seen you handle a lot of things. During our first war with Talpa you had a Winnebago pin you to the ground hood first. A wrecking ball smashed you into a building. You've gotten your ass kicked by so many Tin Cans I've lost count. Yet somehow, you're still alive. But no matter how strong you are, you have to lift with your legs and NOT your arms or else you'll throw your back out. And I think you've learned just how pleasant that can be," said Sage. He lifted his hands, cracked his knuckles, and started to massage my lower back.

"What are you doing that for?" I asked.

"Relieving the tension in the muscles so it'll heal better- remember? I have had training as a masseuse," said Sage. I sighed as his hands worked deeper into my back. It DID make my back feel better. Sage chuckled. "I know you'd probably prefer having Keisha do this."

"We have sex ONCE and suddenly everyone thinks that's all that's on our minds," I grumbled. By that point I was starting to get sick of it. The Senshi had been going up to Keisha and asking several questions about what it was like and all these other questions that screamed "urban myth". Sage and Cye had been incessantly teasing me about it (though I could get them to shut up by blackmail threat via my crystal ball). "Yes, it is now a factor in our relationship but it isn't the ONLY factor."

"I wasn't referring to that!" said Sage, sounding offended (but at least he didn't tease- for one, he'd been blackmailed with some sort of a stuffed toy named "Mr. Binky" and for two, he doesn't have the virtue of Wisdom for nothing). "It's more the fact that I'm a boy and I'm giving you a massage just an inch or so away from your rump. Not the fact that you'd be looking for a little more than a massage from her."

"You're probably right, but considering this is for an injury related reason, I'd trust you a little more than I'd trust her," I said. "You said yourself that your grandfather made you take classes for this kind of stuff since everyone thought you'd be running your family's dojo."

"Point taken," he said, wiping his hands against each other. "All done." I sat up and started to get up, my mind set on getting another box. Sage whistled, halting me in my track. "I don't think so, Kento. You're done for today. If I see you so much as look at a box in the wrong way. . . I'll electrocute you."

"You wouldn't," I said. The playfulness from Sage's eyes disappeared as he reverted back to his old self. The broad-end-of-a-rake-up-his-ass Sage had returned. Not the happy-Flitteree Sage that most of us preferred. I gulped. "You're serious, aren't you?" Sage nodded. "Okay, I'll go help Keisha move in. But if you electrocute me for no reason, I'll tell the girls all about Mr. Binky."

"I don't want you lifting anything heavier than a lamp- YOU LEAVE MR. BINKY OUT OF THIS!" he said, pointing a finger at me in accusation. Then, realizing he'd just screamed "Mr. Binky" loud enough for the entire household to hear, he clamped his hand over his mouth and I laughed.

"Yes, mother," I said with a laugh, exiting my room and going across the hall to Keisha's.

Once I went into the said room, I found my girlfriend loading clothing into her closet. Once she heard me she paused and turned her head. She looked up at me, smiled, and waved me over. "Hey, Kento. How's your back? From the way you screamed I thought that the Dynasty was back for a second."

"Nah, I'm all right," I said, shrugging as I dropped to the floor and crossed my legs. "Sage fixed it up. He's put me on heavy object moving probation with a punishment of the Halo magic kind looming over my head. So I decided to help you. Anything you need help with here?"

"Sure," she said. "Can you unload my books onto my book shelf?"

"Want them alphabetized?" I asked.

"If you'd like," she said.

"Good- that's busy work," I said, crawling over to a box of books located by a short, wooden bookshelf. Then I got to work on the new task. As I started to put books on the shelf, I decided to strike up a conversation. "So, how do you like living at Mike's house so far?"

"It's okay," she said, shrugging as she brushed off a dress, hung it on a hanger, and put it into her closet. She bit her bottom lip and cocked her head to the side as she began to look over a sweater. "Living with my boyfriend is going to be different, but I think I'll get used to it."

"That's good," I said, continuing to alphabetize the books. For the most part it was pretty easy- just put the books in alphabetical order by the author's last name and I was golden. Keisha had a nice selection of books ranging from fantasy to murder mystery to some of the classics. Things were fairly quiet for a few minutes as we continued out work, until I hit something difficult.

"Kidnapped," I said.

"What?" she said, looking startled.

I held up the book cover with a frown on my face as I pointed at a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's _Kidnapped_. "I know how Chinese names work, since you're supposed to have three names, but he isn't Japanese and I don't know if you want him with the 'L' section or the 'S' section!"

Keisha fell onto her back, laughing hysterically. I looked at her in confusion and wondered if I'd just lost her. My girlfriend sat up, smiling brightly at me. "Oh, Kento, you goof! Not important! Just put it with the 'S' section!" She held her stomach, still giggling.

I pouted. Then, I grinned, crawling over to her. Keisha backed away slightly, looking at me with mild fright. I chuckled- she knew EXACTLY what was coming. Before she had a chance to get away, I pounced on top of her and dug my fingers into her sides, causing her to go from laughing to squealing.

"Kento, stop it!" she cried in between giggles.

Knowing I could use my size to my advantage, I straddled her waist and pinned her to the floor. "Say please," I said, resorting to taking her hands and waving them around. "You have to say the magic word and maybe I'll consider getting off of you. But that's a maybe, babe, not a definite- a maybe."

Keisha looked at me, still laughing. "You jerk! Get off of me!"

"Make me."

That, I learned, was something not to tell Keisha. She ripped her hands out of mine and started to tickle me. I rolled to one side to get away from her sides. With me recovering from her attack, Keisha got to her feet and bolted out of the door. Seeing that she wanted to play, I gave chase.

* * *

Later that night, after everyone else was asleep, I was in my room, feeling strangely alone in my room. I sighed heavily, turning over. I wanted to be with Keisha. I didn't necessarily want to be with her in THAT way, I was just lonesome and wanted someone to talk to. About what? I wasn't sure. Anything. I was just lonely.

I hugged one of my pillows, wishing it was my girlfriend. Her voice, her body, her hair. . . I loved everything about her. I loved the way she sounded when she laughed. I loved the way she joked about different things. I loved the way she kissed. I loved when she snuggled up me, looked into my eyes, and told me that she loved me.

"I've got it BAD for her," I said to myself, smiling. I sat up, looking around my room. I was seriously considering sneaking into her room- even if it was just to talk. But Mike would throw a hissy-fit if he caught me doing that. I could almost hear the lecture he'd have given us, too. I inwardly laughed. I'd see her tomorrow first thing.

I lied back down, looking at my clock. Ironically enough, it was 12:21 AM during the wee hours of the morning. I closed my eyes and sighed in frustration. It was now December 21, and I had a slightly big problem on hand. Christmas was in four days, and I had gifts for everyone but one person.

Keisha.

Originally, before the Dark Wing killed her parents, I had planned on getting her a pretty necklace or some sort of a pretty trinket. That would've been appropriate, right? Something that you'd expect for a boyfriend to get his girlfriend for Christmas- nothing too extravagant, but not too cheap, either.

But now that our relationship had changed so much, I felt like I had to get her something REALLY special. THAT was my problem. What the hell was I going to get her for Christmas? It had to be something good- we were really, really close now and I couldn't get away with something like I had originally planned. I needed to get her something REALLY nice. But what?

I wracked my brain. Hey, I was awake and I had four days to get her something- good a time as any to start thinking about it. I needed to get her something really special to show her just how much I loved her. How much she meant to me. Something that told her I would always be there for her.

But what could I get her?

_I need to show her how much I love her. How much I care about her and how much she really means to me. But how in the world am I going to pull that off? What can I do to really, really, really impress her? _Then, I got an idea, and I smiled. I knew exactly what I was going to do.


	22. Epilogue

Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Epilogue: A Christmas to Remember

(Keisha)

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

The sound of Ria's sudden shriek woke the rest of us up with a start. Sam swore and threw a pillow at the offensive Senshi of Wildfire. Rona grumbled and buried her head into pillow. Sara blinked, opened and closed her mouth a few times, and promptly fell backwards back onto her sleeping bag. I sat up and stretched, and smiled.

It was Christmas morning.

Christmas was going to be hard that year, what with it not being quite a month since my parents had died. It felt weird knowing that I was in a different house and that my mother wouldn't be wheeling into my room to softly wish me a Merry Christmas, or that my father wouldn't be carving the big Christmas ham. But with the deaths of the Dark Wing, Talpa, and my grandmother, I truly felt at piece with the whole issue.

Still, that wasn't enough to convince the Senshi I was at peace. So, just like Thanksgiving, everyone was going to have Christmas at Mike's house for one gigundo sleep-over that had just about every room in the whole household full of people- well, okay, legitimate bedrooms and couches with pull-out beds. But it was a full house none the less.

The other Senshi had all spent the night in my room, where we gossiped, told stories, and just caught up on things for a few hours until Mike threatened to make us sleep outside unless we quieted down. Many snickers could be heard from Kento's room, where Sage and Cye also were. That resulted in the five of us sneaking into his room to beat the living daylights out of the boys with pillows. I don't think an inch of Kento's floor wasn't covered in feathers after Sara's pillow AND Sage's pillow both burst open. I think Mike just decided to stay out of that one for the sake of his sanity.

But soon, Christmas morning was apon us. Ria had gotten us all up early so we could utilize the bathrooms and get dressed so it wouldn't be so mad once everyone else started to wake up. Well, at least not for us. It seemed like EVERYONE got up an hour after we all did, but by that time, we were all good and just sat back and watched Sage and Kento wrestle for the bathroom as Cye just casually stepped over the two.

Around nine, everyone was finally ready and we all piled downstairs as one massive unit. We gathered around the WAY overstuffed Christmas tree, which was actually quite beautiful. Kento, Sage, Evan, Sue Lee and I had trimmed it together, getting lots of candy canes, garland, and ornaments on the tree. I myself wouldn't have minded a real tree, but there would be too many people with allergies to risk it. But still, plastic was nice.

"Look at all those gifts and decorations!" said Mrs. Lewis. She clasped her hands together and cooed in appreciation of the tree. "Everyone did such a wonderful job wrapping the gifts and trimming the tree! All of the pretty colors and bows and tags! Oh, I just LOVE Christmas!"

Mike plopped a Santa hat on his head, then grinned stupidly at his little joke (most of us rolled our eyes and groaned- Cara was giggling and clapping at Mike's pathetic excuse for humor). He was playing "Santa". "Now, unless otherwise noted, all gifts will be handed out randomly," he said.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Unless otherwise noted? Mike, what does that mean?" I asked. The grin on Kento's face gave me a clue. At least a few people in the room were up to something, and Kento was, at the very least, one of them. And whatever he had planned had something to do with me.

With that, Mike started to hand out gifts. There was a nice assortment of gifts from all parties to all parties, like the golden wing necklace Sam gave Sage or the grand total of $203 in Orange Julius gift certificates for Anubis. But by the time Cye had opened his gift from Sam, I noticed I still hadn't gotten a gift from Kento. Was this was he was up to?

"Okay, now we have the 'unless otherwise noted presents'," said Mike. With that comment, Sage, Cye, and Kento all scrambled from wherever they were seated and sat under the tree. Sage yanked the Santa hat off of Mike's head and placed it onto his own. We all snickered and Mike looked at the hat forlornly. The last Flitteree balanced the hat on his huge tuft of hair, only to have it slide off once more.

"The three of us- me, Cye, and Kento- are not giving this gift as us-me, Cye, and Kento. We're giving it as the Ronin Warriors of Halo, Torrent, and Hardrock to the Ronin Senshi and the former Warlady of Darkness, Corruption, and Decay. Or, the Ronin Senshi of Winter," said Sage. "Kento? Will you please get the box?"

Kento nodded, running off down the hall. We heard him fumbling around in one of the closets (as well as a few loud crashes), but he soon returned with a nicely wrapped box. He placed it on the floor before him. "All chicks with armor powers please step up to the box," he announced.

We all laughed and did as we were told, unwrapping the box. Once we were done, we saw a normal brown cardboard box. We all opened the flaps together to see a massive wasteland of tissue paper. After getting through that, we saw six brightly colored metal bracelets with gemstones embedded into them.

"What are these?" asked Ria, looking over the red one.

"They're called 'power boosters'. They serve two purposes. One, they act as a sort of channel to project your magic through- makes them strong," said Cye. "Second, they can also store magical items such as spell books and, more importantly, your armor orbes. Makes it easier to carry them around, huh?"  
"I made them, Sage and Cye filled them with little magical do-hickeys," said Kento.

"I put in a few magic herbs that can heal wounds and Cye put in magic water," said Sage.

"What does the magic water do?" asked Sara.

Cye shrugged. "Actually, I'm not sure myself."

Rona snickered. "So you could've given us an explosive and you wouldn't know it?"

"I doubt it's an explosive, Rona," said Anubis. He turned to his son. "Cye? You should let me have a look at that 'magic water' so we know what it is- it's useless to them if they can't use it. For all we know it's either magic armor polish or a highly potent aphrodisiac."

"Kento? Keisha? Stay-"

"TREVOR!"

Anubis bit his bottom lip. "Er. . . that was my fault."

"Next gift!" said Ella quickly, as she snatced the Santa hat off of Sage. Sage looked at the hat, quivering his lip. Mrs. Lewis and Sally joined her. Ella pulled six boxes out from behind a chair. "Sam, Sage, Kento, Keisha, Sara, Cye, Rona, and Ria, please step up." Once we complied (which we really didn't have to because we were up there anyways), Ella gave us each a box and told us to open them. "Sally, Marsha and I worked together to make these for you all."

"Made us gifts? Aw, you didn't have to do that! That was so nice of you all to do that!" said Cye, who had already opened the lid of his box. He looked in, went large eyed, and looked into the box in pure, unadulterated disbelief. "What in the name of the Ancient One?"

"What is it, Cye?" asked Sage. Cye looked into the box, still looking confused, and pulled out a stuffed about the size of a cat. It was of a girl who had blue hair, pink eyes, and a pink flower behind one ear. She was also wearing one of Sara's favorite outfits to boot. "That looks like Sara!"

Getting rather curious and giggly, we all got a little more aggressive with our own boxes. I discovered a Kento doll in my box with a large marble that was obviously supposed to be a crystal ball. I picked up it and smiled, then laughed. "Aw, this is so sweet!" I said, hugging the doll.

Rona and Ria each opened up a stuffed animal. "Wow," sad Ria, looking at her rabbit. It had long, floppy pink ears and a bit red bow tied around its neck. She showed it to Sage, who looked at the Senshi of Fire in questioning. "Hey, Sage? Is Ryo of the Wildfire a bunny?"

Sage looked at the bunny, then started to crack up. "No! He isn't!"

"But he would look rather amusing in a bunny costume," said Kento, holding a doll that looked like me in his lap. He cracked a wide grin, chuckling to himself. "Still, I can see it now. Ryo and Rowen on some little kids show in giant bunny and bear costumes."

Sam was looking over her Sage doll, which came with a pair of detachable wings. She was flying it around the area she was seated in, making funny airplane noises (which, sadly, is something Sage occasionally does when he's flying). "This is too funny," she said. "Thanks, Ella."

Another round of thanks came from the bunch of us. Trevor made another wise crack about Kento and me- this time much more crude- which caused Evan to call for his Staff, which he used to beat Trevor over the head with. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis exchanged the classic parental look of "Where did we go wrong?".

"Maybe I shouldn't have taught him how to call his Staff so soon," Anubis mused.

With that done, we all started back for our seats. To my surprise, Kento placed a hand on my shoulder. He looked at me, shaking his head. I blinked at him, wondering what I was up to. Kento just gave me a slightly nervous grin. _Oh. This must be what he's up to. Guess I'd better stay up here, huh?_

Kento helped me to my feet as Sage and Cye cleared out of the way. Nervously, he cleared his throat. "Before I go on with this, I have a few words I'd like to say," said Kento. Several sarcastic groans and many giggles emitted from the crowd. "Hey! Be nice to me! What did I ever do to you!"

"Give him a minute," said Cye.

"Thanks, Cye," said Kento, giving his best friend a thumbs up in approval of the defense. He turned to me and took both of my feelings. "Keisha, I just want you and everyone in this room to know that I love you more than anything else in this world and nothing will ever change that."

I smiled, blushing. "That's really sweet, Kento," I said. "I know you love me and I love you, too."

"I'm glad," he said, smiling. He put his doll down, then took mine so our dolls could sit next to each other. After looking at them for a few minutes, Kento looked back up at me with a slightly. . . sad, look, on his face maybe. "I just want to know one thing. Out of all the guys in the world, why me?"

I looked at Kento. "What do you mean, why you?"  
"I mean. . . I never really had anyone who's ever made me feel this way in my life or had anyone seen so happy around me. Yeah, I've had other girlfriends before, but, none of them lasted this long or went so far. I've always thought that I wasn't special because of it, but. . . what is it about me that makes you love me?"

"A little bit of everything," I said, almost laughing. I went up to him, and started to play with his hair. "You're cute, for one thing, but that was just the initial reaction. You're strong, you're funny, and you sincerely care about all of your friends. Even Rona and Sam whenever they decide to torment you."

"Duck boy!"

"Like they did just now," I said dryly, giving Strata and Halo a look of death. "You care about me, and that's all I really want out of a guy. I've never been used to having everything because I grew up with next to nothing. It was hard sometimes, but it put a lot of things into perspective for me. All I need in this relationship is you, Kento."

Everyone went "Aww. . .".

Kento smiled at me. "Really?"  
"Really," I said.

He nodded, then took in a deep breath. "Here's the hard part," he said. He started to reach for his back pocket, but never took his eyes off of me. "I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Keisha. You make me feel like another person whenever I'm with you."

"I guess I feel the same way about that, too," I said.

Kento smiled, then dropped down on one knee and revealed a small, velvet blue box. He popped it open to reveal a beautiful diamond ring that gleamed in the light of the room. Suddenly, I knew what was going on. From the gasps coming from my friends, I knew they knew what he was going to do as well. Kento looked up at me. "Keisha Narrlobi, will you marry me?"

I froze. The other females in the room were all making excited squeaks, Kento looking at me, waiting for my answer. I looked over at everyone else. All of the adults looked slightly surprised, though Cye, Sage, and Evan showed no real response, just smug smiles. I turned my attention back to my proposing boyfriend, who was beginning to look really nervous.

I started to cry. Not a sad cry, but I happy cry. "Yes!" I blurted out. Then I broke down and collapsed into Kento's waiting arms, taking comfort in him. Everyone else was cheering and screaming, yells of congratulations filling the living room. Kento pulled away from out embrace long enough to slip the ring onto my finger, then helped me to my feet. Wrapping our arms around each other, we kissed again, eliciting more cries of happiness from our small audience.

"I love you so much," said Kento, his voice sounding shaky. Taking a closer look at my boyfriend- no, my fiancé- I saw that he, too, was shedding a few tears. He cupped my face in his hand, feeling my skin under the soft pads of his fingers. _He loves me. He honestly loves me!_

"I love you, too," I said, staring into his eyes. I felt happy. I belonged somewhere. I was with the one I loved and nothing was ever going to get between us ever again. Someday, we were going to get married and spend the rest of our lives together. I don't think there are any words in my entire vocabulary that can describe that.

I chuckled, resting my forehead against Kento's. "I love you," I said.

"I love you, too."

. . . okay, now it's over.

Kento and Keisha's engagement is going to be VERY LONG TERM. Depending apon how far I decide to take the series (it could easily end after the groups meets up with Ryo and Rowen, which will happen within the next two stories), we may never see the pair actually married, but hey, depends on where this series decides to go.

I have no idea where I'll be going from here, though I do plan to release a MUCH more edited version of _Consequences of Capture,_ and chances are it and a few other things will be coming out as I get ideas for the Rona/Ria story, _Dragonia_, and _End of Innocence v2.0_. So, be on the lookout for that, more _Dragonia_, and the story with the focus on Rona and Ria, though not as a couple (sorry Harry ).

Musou: Yup. It was. And now we'll TRY to work on _Dragonia_.

Harry: grumbles I hate it when you're right. Hey, I'll see what I can do and thank-you much! But, until I figure out what to do with my major RW projects, a lot of those alerts will be for my _Chrono Cross_ stories.

Aynslesa: Well, he did come up with something nice, right? Hey, I only quite a story when I started writing it on an impulse and just ran out of ideas (i.e. _Sehkment's Vacation_, which never got much farther than the prologue). _A Spoiled Princess_ might join the ranks of that one, and people familiar to my site will know the name _Tragedies of Fate_, which ironically enough turned into a comedy. Aw, thank you!

Yin-Yang: shudders Creepy. Well, now you know what they did and everyone's all happy and mushy. Mr. Binky is probably some sort of a bear- he may or may not make an actual appearance in the storyline.

Winter: Hey! I didn't think you were referring to that! I just started going off the top of my head! Thanks!

Kar-chan: Well, this story was written for Christmas, but both of its releases occurred at a time of year that was NOT Christmas. Er. . . wow. oO.

So. . . the comments for this will be in the Rona/Ria story, whenever that gets out. But like I said, I'm not sure where I'm going, but at least I'm not leaving you guys on a cliffhanger this time.

Dixxy


End file.
